HARPER'S   PICTORIAL  LIBRARY 
OF  THE  WORLD  WAR 

In    Twelve  Volumes 
Profusely  Illustrated 

VOLUME  VII 

THE    ARMIES   OF   MERCY 

The  Vast   Relief  Work 
in    All    the    Nations 


0^ 


By  J.   F.   Boucnor 


A   French  Nurse 


HARPER'S  PICTORIAL  LIBRARY 
OF  THE  WORLD  WAR 


In  Twelve  Volumes 
Profusely  Illustrated 

FOREWORD  BY  CHARLES  W.  ELIOT,  PhD. 

President  Emeritus,  Harvard  University 


VOLUME  VII 


The  Armies  of  Mercy 

The  Vast  Relief  Work  in 
All  the  Nations 


INTRODUCTION  BY  HENRY  P.  DAVISON 

Director  of  the  Council  of  the  American  Red  Cross 

Edited  by 

A.  VON  SCHRADER 

ajid 

PAUL  FORTIER  JONES 


GENERAL  EDITORIAL  BOARD 


Prof.  Albert  Bushnell  Hart 

Harvard  University 

Gen.  Douglas  MacArthur,  U.S.A. 

Chief  of  Staff,  42nd  Division 


Admiral  Albert  Gleaves 

U.  S.  Navy 

Prof.  W.  O.  Stevens 

U.  S.  Naval  Academy,  Annapolis 

Prof.  John  Spencer  Bassett 

Professor  of  History,  Smith  College 


Gen.  Ulysses  G.  McAlexander 

U.  S.  Army 

John  Grier  Hibben 

President  of  Princeton  University 

J.  B.  W.  Gardiner 

Military  Expert,  New  York  Times 

Commander  C.  C.  Gill,  U.  S.  N. 


Lecturer  at  Annapolis  and  aide 
to  Admiral  Gleaves 


Henry  Noble  MacCracken 

President  of  Vassar  College 

Prof.  E.  R.  A.  Seligman 

Columbia  University 

Dr.  Theodore  F.  Jones 

Professor  of  History,  New  York 
University 

Carl  Snyder 


Major  C.  A.  King,  Jr. 

History  Department,  West  Point 


Harper  &  Brothers  Publishers 

NEW   YORK    AND    LONDON 
Established  1817 


^ 


I 


Vol.  7— Harper's  Pictorial  Library  of  the  World  Was 

Copyright   1920,   by   Harper  &  Brothers 

Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 

A-U 


CONTENTS    OF    VOLUME    VII 


3- 
4- 
S- 
6. 

7- 


Introduction By  Cardinal  James  Gibbons 

What  the  War  Has  Meant  to  Us.    By  Rev.  Dr. 
William  T.  Manning 

1.  The  Red  Cross 

The  Red  Cross  and  the  Future      .      . 

The  Mercy  of  War 

The  Red  Cross  in  Action     .... 
The  Red  Cross  and  the  Soldier       .      . 
The  Red  Cross  as  a  Neutral     .      .      . 
The  Service  of  the  Red  Cross    . 
Red  Cross  Relief  of  Allied  Civilians     . 

2.  America's  Spontaneous  Answer  . 
Saving  Belgium  from  Famine 

Serbia's  Agony 

Holland  as  a  Refuge 

Rehabilitation  of  the  Disabled       .     . 
The   General   Medical    Board    of   the 

Council  of  National  Defense 
The  United  States  Medical  Corps  [and 

Its  War  Work 

The  Fighting  Men  of  the  Medical  Corps 
Uncle  Sam  and  His  Wounded  Nephew 
Rehabilitation  of  the  Disabled  of  the 

Industrial  Army 

The  Preparedness  of  the  Army — Medi- 
cal Department     

How  Our  Wounded  Were  Cared  For  at 

the  Front     

Eyes  for  the  Blind 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  A.  E.  F.       . 
The  Red  Triangle — Personnel 
The  Women's  Work  in  the  Overseas 
Y.  M.  C.  A 


9- 
id. 
II. 

12. 

13- 

14. 


PAGE 

vii 


viu 

I 

4 
IS 
29 

43 

47 
73 

85 
116 

144 

168 

175 

187 


191 

230 

233 

240 

16. 

245 

17 
18 

249 

255 

19 

20 

261 

21 

266 

^  2 

267 


PAGE 

During  the  Combat  Period  .      ...  271 

Entertainment  by  the  "Y"       .      .      .  277 
Y.    M.    C.    A.    Army     Educational 

Program 280 

Y.   M.   C.  A.   Religious  Work     .      .  283 
"Y"  Work  in  the  United    Kingdom 

with  the  A.  E.  F 286 

With  the  A.  E.  F.  in  Italy  ....  290 
"Y"  Work  in  the  Army  of  Occupa- 
tion          291 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  with  the  A.  E.  F.  in 

Siberia  and  Northern  Russia      .      .  293 
Red   Triangle   Navy    Department   in 

Foreign  Waters 298 

Prisoner-of-war  Work 302 

Foyer     du     Sold  at,     Union     Franco- 
Americaine,  Y.  M.  C.  A.       .      .      .310 

Athletics  under  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.     .      .  313 

Y.   M.   C.  A.  Work   for  the   Russian 

Armies  and  the  Russian  People  .  318 

Egypt,  Gallipoli,  and  Palestine      .  321 

Through  Mesopotamia  with  the  Indian 

Expeditionary  Force  to  Bagdad      .  324 

16.    The  Knights  of  Columbus      ....  328 

America's  Over-There  Theater  League  339 

The  Story  of  the  Stage  Women's  War 

Relief 343 

"We  Are  Rich  in  Our  Poor"      ...  349 

Free  Milk  for  France 37^ 

Salvation  Army  Stories 379 

The  Last  Rites 39^ 

Salvation  Army's  Work  aMONG  Service 

Men  of  U.  S.  Army  and  Navy      .     .  .393 


23 


ILLUSTRATIONS   IN  COLOR 

A  French  Nurse Frontispiece 

Medals  and  Badges  of  the  American  Red  Cross Facing  page     50 

96 

.      .  "  158 

....  "  198 

.      .      .      .  "  250 

"  300 

....  "  350 

...  "  374 


The  Red  Cross  Canteen  in  France  .... 
Red  Cross  Workers  Administering  to  Refugees 
Preparing  Compresses  for  the  Red  Cross  . 

To  Our  Troops  Abroad 

The  American  Red  Cross  in  Italy   .... 

Shipping  Overseas 

The  American  Red  Cross  in  Italy  (2)  . 


\ 


James,  Cardinal  Gibbons 

The  first  American  prelate  to  complete  fifty  years  as  a  Bishop 


©    A.  Benziger. 


INTRODUCTION 

IT  is  Indeed  fitting,  that  among  the  records  of  the  war,  space  should 
be  found  for  War  Relief  Work. 

One  of  the  outstanding  facts  in  the  war  just  finished  with  so  much 
glory  and  credit  to  our  belov^ed  America,  was  the  spontaneous  and 
universal  support  given  the  Government  by  men  and  women  of  all 
creeds,  classes  and  conditions.  In  the  Five  Liberty  Loan  Appeals,  the 
amount  asked  for  was  oversubscribed.  In  the  purchase  of  War  Savings 
Stamps,  everyone,  the  poor  as  well  as  the  rich,  displayed  an  unparalleled 
willingness  to  lend  their  aid  to  the  Government.  In  responding  to  the 
appeals  of  the  seven  organizations  approved  by  the  Government  to 
look  after  the  welfare  of  both  soldiers  and  civilians,  our  people  dis- 
played a  generosity  unequaled  in  the  history  of  humanity.  Thus  were 
Americans  at  large  brought  into  intimate  contact  with  the  sufferers  of 
the  war-ridden  countries,  so  that,  in  the  words  of  the  Apostle  St.  Paul, 
their  charity  is  spoken  of  throughout  the  whole  world.  This  uprush  of 
sympathy  and  eagerness  to  help  the  sufferers  of  the  war,  whether  soldier 
or  civilian.  Gentile  or  Jew,  forms  one  of  the  brightest  pages  in  the 
history  of  the  World  War. 

But  more  especially  in  the  personal  service  of  our  men  and  women 
was  the  Mercy  of  our  People  shown.  In  small  hamlets  as  well  as  in 
big  cities,  any  number  of  men  and  women  were  to  be  found  freely  spend- 
ing themselves  in  providing  for  the  comfort  and  amusement  of  our 
soldiers  and  sailors.  In  hospital  and  camp  and  service  club  and 
recreation  center,  the  cheapest  article  dispensed  was  the  sacrifice  of  our 
noble  women,  who  counted  no  cost,  overcame  every  obstacle  and  incon- 
venience, if  only  they  might  provide  comfort  and  cheer  to  the  men  in 
service.  Thus  in  a  hundred  different  ways  did  these  ministering  Angels 
lighten  the  heart,  naturally  heavy  from  new  and  untried  experiences, 
and  make  bright  an  otherwise  dull  and  cheerless  existence. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  reading  of  this  volume  will  cause  to 
spring  up  in  the  heart  of  the  reader  new  wells  of  Mercy  and  Charity, 
so  that  the  work  begun  during  the  war  may  be  carried  on. 

J.  Card.  Gibbons. 
July  29,  1919. 


I 

i 


i 


Underwood  and   Underwood. 


Rev.  Dr.  William  T.  Manning 

Rector    of   Trinity    Church,    New    York. 


INTRODUCTION 

What  the  War  Has  Meant  To  Us 

By  William  T.  Manning 
Rector  of  Trinity  Parish,  New  York  City 

WICKED  as  is  any  war  of  aggression,  great  as  was  the  crime  of 
those  who  brought  this  war  on  the  world,  fearful  beyond  all  ex- 
pression as  have  been  its  cost  and  suffering,  we  can  nevertheless  see 
great  spiritual  results  which  the  war  has  brought  to  pass.  This  is  in 
no  way  surprising.  It  is  the  tragedy  of  life  which  makes  character. 
It  is  suffering  which  makes  us  see  the  eternal  realities.  It  is  through 
sacrifice  that  we  grow  spiritually.  The  old  adage  tells  us  that  man's 
extremity  is  God's  opportunity.  Christianity  shows  us  that  the  way  of 
achievement  is  the  way  of  the  Cross. 

The  world  war  has  wrought  results  far  greater  than  any  of  us  can 
yet  realize.  It  has  brought  in  a  new  era.  The  world  has  undergone 
deeper  change  in  the  past  five  years  than  in  the  ten  preceding  centuries. 

Some  evidences  of  this  we  can  see  already: 

1.  The  whole  world  has  been  drawn  together  as  never  before.  Men 
of  all  races  and  of  all  creeds  have  been  brought  to  know  each  other  as 
at  no  other  time.  The  isolation  of  America  is  gone  forever.  We  feel 
to-day  our  fellowship  with  men  in  all  the  globe.  Henceforth  we  must 
do  our  full  part  in  the  great  family  of  the  nations.  This  does  not  mean 
that  we  may  forget  our  loyalty  and  our  primary  duty  to  our  own  land. 
It  means  the  reverse  of  this.  Just  as  duty  to  our  country  must  be  built 
on  loyalty  and  primary  obligation  to  our  homes,  so  duty  to  mankind  must 
rest  on  the  firm  foundation  of  loyalty  and  primary  obligation  to  our 
own  land. 

2.  The  war  has  given  us  a  new  ideal  of  service.  We  see  this  clearly 
in  our  own  country.  The  great  call  to  sacrifice  for  the  right  has 
aroused  a  new  spirit  among  us.  It  has  reawakened  our  moral  sense;  it 
has  renewed  our  ideals,  it  has  stirred  and  quickened  our  soul  as  a  peo- 
ple. There  were  those  who  feared  that  Democracy  would  fail  in  such 
a  crisis  as  this,  that  it  would  not  be  willing  to  suffer  for  the  right,  that  it 
would  not  fight  for  the  preservation  of  its  life  and  its  ideals.  The 
spirit  of  our  people  in  this  conflict  has  forever  silenced  that  fear. 

3.  The  war  has  brought  to  all  of  us  a  new  vision  of  justice  and 
human  brotherhood,  and  one  which  we  shall  not  let  go.  It  is  natural 
that  some  to  whom  this  vision  has  come  should  be  carried  into  excess 
by  it.  It  is  not  surprising  that  some  should  lose  their  balance  and 
should  confuse  social  chaos  with  social  progress  and  lawlessness  with 
liberty.     We  must  not  be  misled  nor  dismayed  by  extremes  of  this  sort. 

ix 


X  INTRODUCTION 

We  must  be  true  to  our  ideals,  but  our  ideals  must  be  harnessed  to  sober 
truth  and  fact.  Not  by  the  way  of  disruption  and  destruction  but  by 
the  way  of  development  and  progress  we  must  make  this  a  better  world 
than  it  has  ever  yet  been.  The  common  aims  and  sufferings  of  war 
have  given  us  a  new  vision.  Having  lived  and  worked  as  brothers  in 
time  of  war,  we  must  work  in  this  spirit  now  in  time  of  peace. 

4.  The  war  has  given  us  new  faith  in  God  and  in  His  purpose  for 
mankind.  It  has  given  us  an  illustration  of  this  which  we  cannot  mis- 
take nor  ignore.  It  has  shown  us  that  while  God  gives  us  our  freedom 
as  individuals  and  nations,  which  we  can  use  or  abuse,  as  we  will.  He 
still  holds  the  reins  in  His  own  hands,  and  guides  events  to  His  Own 
great  ends.  Never  was  there  in  history  before  so  clear  an  illustration 
of  this. 

Through  suffering  and  sacrifice  unspeakable,  by  means  of  a  crime 
without  parallel,  the  world  has  been  lifted  to  its  highest  point  of  faith 
and  purpose.  Through  a  brutal  war  waged  in  the  interests  of  autocracy, 
the  world  has  been  brought  to  its  noblest  vision  of  justice  and  brother- 
hood. 

It  is  this  which  gives  us  courage  to  meet  gladly  and  confidently  the 
tasks  and  problems  of  the  new  day. 


New  York  Herald. 


Louvain 


When  Louvain  was  burned  by  the  Germans  the  civil   population   fled   in   terror  to  the   outlying 
country.     Homeless  and  in  rags,  many  of  these  refugees    were    later    cared    for    by    the    American 
Red   Cross    and   the    Belgian   Relief   Commission    who    fed,    clothed    and    housed    them. 


The  Armies  of  Mercy 


THE  RED  CROSS  AND  THE  FUTURE 

By  Henry  P.  Davison 
Chairman   of  War  Council  of  the   American   Red   Cross. 


THE  effort  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in 
the  World  War  constituted  the  largest 
voluntary  gift  of  money,  of  hand  and  heart, 
ever  contributed  purely  for  the  relief  of  hu- 
man suf!fering.  Some  idea  of  how  the  Ameri- 
can people  responded  during  the  war  to  the 
opportunity  for  service  through  their  Red 
Cross  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that 
whereas,  before  we  entered  the  war,  the  or- 
ganization had  about  500,000  members, 
within  one  year  thereafter  it  had  upwards  of 
22,000,000  paid  members,  outside  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Junior  Red  Cross — some  nine  or 
ten   million   school  children   in   addition. 

During  the  nearly  twenty-one  months  in 
which  the  affairs  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
were  directed  by  a  War  Council  appointed  by 
the  President,  the  American  people  gave,  in 
cash  and  supplies,  to  the  Red  Cross,  more  than 
$400,000,000.  No  value  can  be  placed  upon 
the  contributions  of  service  w'hich  were  given 
without  stint  and  oftentimes  at  great  sacri- 
fice by  millions  of  our  people. 

The  chief  effort  of  the  Red  Cross  during 
the  war  was,  of  course,  to  care  for  our  men 
in  service  and  to  aid  our  Army  and  Navy 
wherever  the  Red  Cross  might  be  called  on  to 
assist.  As  to  this  phase  of  our  work.  Surgeon 
General  Ireland,  of  the  United  States  Army, 
said,  after  returning  from  France:  "The  Red 
Cross  has  been  an  enterprise  as  vast  as  the 
war  itself.  From  the  beginning  it  has  done 
those  things  which  the  army  medical  corps 
wanted   done   but   could   not  itself   do." 

American  Red  Cross  endeavor  in  France 
was    naturally    upon    an    exceptionally    large 


scale,  for  service  was  rendered  not  alone  to 
the  armies  of  the  United  States  in  France, 
but  special  effort  was  made  on  behalf  of  the 
French  people  and  particularly  during  that 
trying  period  when  the  Allied  world  was 
waiting  for  the  American  Army  to  arrive  in 
France  in  force  and  power.  The  work  in 
France  was  initiated  by  a  commission  of 
eighteen  men,  who  landed  on  French  shores 
June  13,  191 7.  From  that  small  beginning 
the  work  so  grew  that  at  one  time  or  another 
during  the  period  of  the  war  some  9,000 
persons  w^ere  on  the  rolls,  of  whom  7,000 
w^ere  actively  engaged  at  the  armistice. 

The  work  in  Italy  was  almost  entirely  on 
behalf  of  the  civilian  population  of  that  coun- 
try. In  the  critical  hours  of  Italy's  struggle, 
the  American  people,  through  their  Red 
Cross,  sent  a  practical  message  of  sj^mpathy 
and  relief  for  which  the  government  and  peo- 
ple of  Italy  never  ceased  to  express  their 
gratitude. 

In  the  course  of  the  war  American  Red 
Cross  Commissions  were  also  sent  and  actu- 
ally operated  in  England,  Belgium,  Switzer- 
land, Rumania,  Russia,  Palestine  and  the 
Balkans.  In  addition,  relief  was  extended  in 
many  other  parts  of  the  world. 

When  the  armistice  was  signed  the  work 
was  at  its  height.  Millions  of  people  were 
working  with  and  for  the  Red  Cross  at  home ; 
thousands  of  loyal  and  devoted  Americans 
were  carrying  the  American  message  of  love 
and  sympathy  to  suffering  friends  and  allies 
wherever  they  could  be  reached.  The  Red 
Cross  effort  was  not  alone  far  flung,  but  the 


Paul  Thompson. 


A  Great  Red  Cross  Demonstration 


Twenty  thousand  women,  representing  all  branches  of  Red  Cross  service,  marched  in  the  niost 
impressive  parade  New  York  has  ever  seen.     Three  hundred  thousand  enthusiastic  persons  lined 

the  sidewalks  to  view  the  procession. 


vn— 1 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


movement  represented  by  this  work  assumed 
an  intimate  place  in  the  daily  life  of  our 
people  at  home.  Our  experience  in  the  war 
showed  clearly  that  there  was  an  unlimited 
field  for  service  of  the  kind  that  could  be 
performed  with  peculiar  effectiveness  by  the 
Red  Cross.  And  when  the  smoke  of  war 
cleared  away,  it  was  the  feeling  that  the  army 
of  American  Red  Cross  workers  which  had 
been  recruited  and  trained  during  the  war 
must  not  be  demobilized. 

Nothing,  accordingly,  could  be  of  greater 
importance  to  the  American  Red  Cross  nor 
to  the  future  of  humanitarian  effort  through- 
out the  world  than  the  plan  embodied  in  the 


Henry  P.  Davison 

Chairman  of  War   Council   of  the  American 
Red  Cross,  and  under  whose  guidance  the  great 
work  was  conducted.      He  was  decorated   as   a 
Commander  of  the  Legion  of  Honor. 


formation  at  Paris,  May  5,  1919,  of  the 
World  League  of  Red  Cross  Societies.  This 
was  an  outcome  of  a  movement  instituted 
by  the  American  Red  Cross  immediately  after 
the  armistice  to  develop  a  world  program  of 
extended  Red  Cross  activities  in  the  interest 
of  humanity. 

The  Covenant  of  the  League  of  Nations, 
Article  XXV,  contains  this  provision : 

"The    members    of    the    League    agree    to 
encourage  and  promote  the  establishment  and 


cooperation  of  duly  authorized,  voluntary 
national  Red  Cross  organizations  having  as 
their  purpose  the  improvement  of  health,  pre- 
vention of  disease  and  mitigation  of  suffering 
throughout  the  world." 

In  accordance  with  the  foregoing,  the 
League  of  Red  Cross  Societies  has  been  formed 
with  the  Societies  of  the  United  States, 
France,  Italy,  Great  Britain  and  Japan  as 
original  members,  and  having  as  its  stated 
purpose  the  following: 

1.  To  encourage  and  promote  in  every 
country  in  the  world  the  establishment  and 
development  of  duly  authorized  voluntary 
National  Red  Cross  organizatit>ns,  having  as 
their  purposes  the  improvement  of  health,  pre- 
vention of  disease  and  mitigation  of  suffering 
throughout  the  world  and  to  secure  the  coop- 
eration of  such  organizations  for  these  pur- 
poses. 

2.  To  promote  the  welfare  of  mankind  by 
furnishing  the  medium  for  bringing  within 
reach  of  all  people  the  benefits  to  be  derived 
from  present  known  facts,  and  new  contri- 
butions to  science  and  medical  knowledge  and 
their  application. 

3.  To  furnish  the  medium  for  coordinating 
relief  work  in  case  of  great  national  or  inter- 
national calamities. 

The  conception  of  the  League  of  Red  Cross 
Societies  involves  not  alone  efforts  to  relieve 
human  suffering,  but  to  prevent  it;  not  alone 
a  movement  by  the  people  of  an  individual 
nation,  but  an  attempt  to  arouse  all  people  to 
a  sense  of  their  responsibility  for  the  welfare 
of  their  fellow  beings  throughout  the  world. 
It  is  a  program  both  ideal  and  practical;  ideal, 
in  that  its  supreme  aim  is  nothing  less  than 
veritable  "Peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men," 
and  practical,  in  that  it  seeks  to  take  means 
and  measures  which  are  actually  available  and 
make  them  effective  in  meeting  without  delay 
the  crises  w^hich  are  daily  recurring  in  the 
lives  of  all  peoples. 

Thus  the  American  Red  Cross  upon  the 
threshold  of  peace  finds  itself  in  the  presence 
of  an  opportunity  as  far  transcending  the 
opportunities  of  war  times  as  the  possibilities 
of  permanent  peace  itself  transcend  those  of 
war.  It  is  an  inspiring  call  to  duty  and 
service. 


THE  MERCY  OF  WAR 

How  it  Has  Developed  from  the  Earliest  Times  until  Now  It  Is  an  Inter- 
national Institution 


CAIN  slew  Abel  with  a  club.  This  was 
war  in  its  most  primitive  aspect,  without 
refinement  of  w^eapons  or  tactics.  P'rom  this 
first  battle  in  the  dawn  of  time  began  the 
yoking  of  an  unruly  team,  War  and  Science, 
pulling  sometimes  together  and  sometimes 
against  each  other,  but  always  advancing 
across  the  years.  Science  has  made  the  art  of 
healing  more  sure,  and  has  made  war  more 
deadly.  The  needs  of  war  have  given  impulse 
to  science  for  destruction  and  for  saving. 

When  two  enemies  met  in  the  Stone  Age, 
one  killed  the  other.  If  the  victor  was 
wounded,  he  died,  and  that  was  the  end  of 
both  of  them.  The  same  general  scheme 
of  things  lasted  for  thousands  of  years.  No 
one  had  time  to  care  for  the  wounded.  For 
other  thousands  of  years  all  fighting  was  still 
hand  to  hand,  though  there  might  be  large 
numbers  engaged  on  either  side.  The  heat  of 
battle  and  its  fury  continued  to  dwarf  any 
impulse  save  that  of  killing. 

Battlefields  changed,  and  weapons  changed ; 
the  club  became  a  spear  or  a  sword.  But  men 
still  fought  breast  to  breast.  The  siege  of 
Troy  was  no  more  than  a  series  of  duels. 
When  the  Barbarians  overwhelmed  the  Ro- 
man legions,  each  man  fought  for  himself — 
and  slew  the  wounded. 

CHANGE    OF    WEAPONS    AFFECTS    TREATMENT 
OF  WOUNDED 

Not  until  long-range  fighting  began  did 
time  and  opportunity  offer  for  systematic  re- 
lief-work. The  battle  of  Crecy,  in  1346,  is 
important  for  more  than  w-hat  the  English 
bowmen  did.  It  was  the  first  long-range  bat- 
tle, and  military  relief-work  has  advanced 
steadily  as  the  fighting-ranges  have  increased. 

Again,  up  to  the  15th  century,  armies  were 
made  up  largely  of  "professional  soldiers," 
ruffians  and  bullies  in  whom  no  one  had  any 


great  personal  interest,  and  whose  business  it 
w'as  to  bear  the  burdens  of  their  profession. 
If  a  commander  made  any  effort  to  save  his 
wounded,  it  was  so  that  he  could  use  them 
again,  and  not  from  motives  of  mercy.  Dur- 
ing the  18th  century,  the  Old  World  returned 
to  conscription.  Men  of  family  were  taken 
for  the  armies,  and  their  families  had  every 
motive  for  caring  for  them  when  they  were 
hurt.  This  last  change  in  the  personnel  of 
fighting  forces  was  a  second  great  impulse 
toward  the  development  of  war-relief. 

A  man  wounded  in  battle  needs  three 
things:  immediate  temporary  treatment,  trans- 
portation to  a  place  for  more  careful  atten- 
tion, and  a  hospital  in  which  to  recover.  Let 
us  see  how  these  three  needs  have  come 
about. 

Surgery  itself  is  almost  as  old  as  the  human 
race.  Homer  speaks  of  "skillful  healers," 
like  i^sculapius,  and  it  is  recorded  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  wars  between  the  Greeks  and  Per- 
sians that  in  450  B.  C.  one  Onasilos,  a  Greek, 
offered  his  services  and  those  of  two  pupils 
in  the  care  of  his  wounded  countnmen.  He 
was  the  first  volunteer  army-surgeon.  Hip- 
pocrates, of  the  same  period,  has  left  treatises 
on  wounds  and  their  healing  that  show  an  in- 
timate acquaintance  with  the  battlefield. 
Greek  vases  are  covered  with  drawings  of 
surgeons  at  work. 

ANCIENT    EGYPT    AND    INDIA    HAD    SKILLFUL 
SURGEONS 

In  Egj^pt  there  are  temples  and  monas- 
teries that  date  back  to  3500  B.  C.  carrying 
ornamentations  of  the  same  sort,  and  mum- 
mies have  been  found  with  well-knit  broken 
bones  and  trephined  skulls  and  other  injuries 
that  must  almost  certainly  have  been  received 
in  battle. 

Ancient  Egypt  drew  her  wisdom  from  still 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


older  India,  where  there  was  continual  inter- 
tribal warfare  and  a  corresponding  degree  of 
surgical  skill ;  War  was  helping  Science.  The 
Hindus  of  the  gth  century  have  left  a  number 
of  records  showing  that  they  had  many  medi- 
cines, and  the  Susrutn,  a  book  of  Sanskrit, 
lists  a  hundred  surgical  instruments,  which, 
it  says,  "must  have  good  handles  and  firm 
joints,  be  polished,  sharp  to  divide  a  hair,  per- 
fectly clean,  and  be  kept  in  flannel  in  a  closed 
wooden  box."  These  same  wise  men  had 
some  fourteen  types  of  bandages,  and  they 
made  splints  of  rattan  identical  with  those  still 
used  in  the  British  army! 

Surgery  was  progressing,  and  certain 
wounded  warriors  were  treated,  but  all  this 
time  there  was  no  definite  effort  toward  even 
the  first  of  the  three  needs  of  the  man  hurt 
in  battle.  There  was  no  organized  army 
medical  corps  anywhere. 

In  Europe,  as  late  as  900  A.  D.,  the  wives 
and  daughters  of  the  wounded  soldiers  were 
expected  to  give  what  aid  they  could,  if  they 
could  reach  the  fighter,  or  if  he  could  drag 
himself  to  them.  Otherwise  he  died.  In 
Saxon  England,  what  medicine  there  was  was 
in  the  hands  of  the  priests,  until,  about  iioo, 
the  clergy  was  forbidden  to  study  the  art  of 
healing.  Mediaeval  Europe  sometimes  fol- 
lowed the  older  plan  of  attaching  a  medicus 
to  each  unit.  But  this  medicus  was  most  often 
a  chaplain  whose  interest  was  rather  in  the 
souls  than  in  the  bodies  of  his  men.  The  Cru- 
saders were  fired  with  a  religious  zeal  that 
ignored  mere  phj'sical  ills.  They  had  no  medi- 
cal attendants,  and  the  suffering  of  their 
wounded  and  sick  was  terrible. 

FIRST  OFFICIAL  MEDICAL   SERVICE   WAS 
ENGLISH 

Edward  the  First  of  England  had  an  of- 
ficial medical  service,  the  first  on  record,  on 
his  expedition  to  Scotland  in  1399,  and  the 
army  of  Henr^^  the  Fifth  had  its  corps  of 
surgeons  at  the  battle  of  Agincourt  in  141 5 — 
long-range  fighting  had  begun  to  give  its  op- 
portunity for  mercy.  Henr^^'s  surgeons  were 
taken  from  civilian  life,  at  the  princely  wage 
of  18  pounds,  5  shillings  per  year!  Neither 
the  pay  nor  the  position  of  a  surgeon  was  very 
alluring,  and  when,  a  century  later,  all  the 
surgeons  in  London  were  made  exempt  from 


jury-duty   and   active   fighting   in   the  armies, 
only  thirteen  were  registered. 

Little  by  little  the  first  problem,  that  of 
immediate  temporary  treatment  for  the 
wounded,  had  been  attacked.  The  second 
need,  that  of  transportation,  was  completely 
neglected  until  the  time  of  Isabella  of  Spain, 
of  whom  more  later.  The  third  need,  for 
hospitals,  developed  almost  entirely  on  the  re- 
ligious side.  The  early  Christian  bishops 
had  parishes  for  the  relief  of  the  sick  and  the 
poor.  If  a  wounded  man  could  get  to  such  a 
hospital,  he  would  be  cared  for,  but  there 
was  no  one  to  bring  him.  This  system,  hav- 
ing nothing  to  do  with  the  armies,  lasted  to 
the  time  of  Charlemagne,  about  800  A.  D., 
when  it  was  superseded  by  charitable  institu- 
tions endowed  by  rich  patrons,  frequently  as 
a  salve  to  a  guilty  conscience.  These  insti- 
tutions were  usually  of  the  crudest  sort.  It 
was  their  custom,  for  example,  to  save  space 
by  building  beds  for  two,  three  and  four  per- 
sons, and  that  number,  each  with  a  different 
disease,  would  be  huddled  together  on  a  mis- 
erable straw  pallet.  Along  with  the  endowed 
charitable  institutions  there  grew  up  various 
nursing  orders,  among  them  the  Order  of  St. 
John  of  Jerusalem,  the  Brothers  and  Sisters 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  Franciscans,  but 
these  again  had  no  connection  with  military 
relief,  and  succored  the  wounded  only  in  a 
haphazard  manner.  In  the  Catholic  countries 
there  were  corresponding  religious  organiza- 
tions, but  with  the  same  limitations. 

HOSPITALS   DIED   OUT   AND   SUFFERING 
RETURNED 

Little  by  little  the  public  interest  in  the  en- 
dowed hospitals  waned — whether  because  of 
a  toughening  of  the  public  conscience,  or  be- 
cause their  novelty  had  worn  off,  is  not  re- 
corded. As  a  result  most  of  them  were  closed 
for  lack  of  funds,  and  when,  in  1349,  the 
Black  Death  came  to  London,  there  were  so 
few  nurses  and  hospitals  that  one-half  of  the 
population   died! 

During  the  period  of  these  hospitals,  they 
were  thickly  scattered  over  the  country,  so 
that  a  man  wounded  in  battle  had  a  fair 
chance  of  getting  to  one  of  them,  or  to  a 
neighboring  monastery,  as  that  of  Brakley, 
where  there  is  a  record  of  the  treatment  in 


Crntral    Kr:vs    Photo.    .S"i'r:-i,c 


Taking  Tea  With  Enemies 

The  Red  Cross  played  a  role  of  humanity  that   eclipsed  national    barriers. 


u^..-^..  %■■ 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


13 14  of  a  man  whose  hand  had  been  cut  off 
by  the  Scots  at  the  battle  of  Bannockburn. 
Such  a  case  was,  however,  out  of  the  ordinary 
routine. 

Thus  far  there  had  been  a  slow  but  certain 
development  toward  the  solving  of  the  first 
and  third  problems  of  the  wounded  man ;  i.e., 
his  temporary  treatment,  however  casual,  and 
the  establishment  of  hospitals  where  he  might 
recover,  if  he  could  get  to  them.  The  sec- 
ond problem, — that  of  his  transportation, — in 
other  words,  a  military  ambulance  service,  had 
been  completely  ignored.  It  is  interesting  that 
Queen  Isabella  of  Spain,  whose  generosity  to 
Columbus  made  possible  the  discovery  of 
America,  should  have  been  the  first  to  estab- 
lish such  an  ambulance  service.  This  gentle 
lady  endowed  what  was  known  as  the 
Queen's  Hospital,  consisting  of  some  400 
wagons,  or  ambulancias  (the  first  use  of  the 
word),  equipped  with  tents,  surgeons,  sup- 
plies and  attendants,  that  traveled  with  the 
army  of  Spain  and  performed  the  double  ser- 
vice of  giving  immediate  treatment  to  the  in- 
jured soldiers,  and  of  carrjang  them  to  places 
of  convalescence.  Unhappily,  Queen  Isabella 
was  four  centuries  ahead  of  her  time  in  this 
merciful  impulse.  When  she  died,  the  am- 
bulancias were  given  up,  and  the  agony  of  the 
unattended  soldiers  returned. 

MEDICAL   SUPERSTITION    BEGAN   TO   GIVE   WAY 
TO    FACT 

Medicine,  until  the  middle  of  the  15th  cen- 
tury, had  been  retarded  and  bound  by  all  the 
combined  superstitions  and  traditions  of  the 
superstitious  past.  Doctrines  and  theories 
were  accepted  not  because  they  were  true  but 
because  they  had  been  accepted.  In  this  blind 
following  of  crystallized  thought  there  was 
little  place  for  observation  or  improvement, 
with  the  natural  result  that  there  was  little 
observation  or  improvement.  Paracelsus,  who 
lived  when  Columbus  set  sail,  did  much  to 
free  the  medical  profession  from  the  cobwebs 
that  had  gathered  on  it,  and  Linacre,  who 
founded  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  in 
1518,  followed  in  his  footsteps  with  independ- 
ent investigation.  These  two  men  brought 
about  a  new  spirit  of  inquiry  and  creative 
thought.  Guns,  and  their  resultant  wounds, 
had  come  to  the  battlefields  a  century  before. 


and  they  had  stimulated  the  ingenuity  of 
surgeons  by  requiring  treatment  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  that  for  sword-cuts  and  spear- 
thrusts.  Further,  the  feudal  bands  of  the 
past  had  given  way  to  permanent  armies,  so 
that  there  were  many  reasons  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  technique  of  military  sur- 
gery. But  commanders  still  considered  field- 
ambulances  as  unjustifiable  impedimenta,  with 
field-hospitals  in  the  same  category.  Not  until 
1595)  3t  the  siege  of  Amiens,  is  there  any 
record  of  a  military  field-hospital  established 
with  an  army  to  care  for  that  army's  wounded. 

The  17th  century  was  rich  in  medical  prog- 
ress. There  was  Harvey,  who  discovered  the 
circulation  of  the  blood,  and,  following  his 
thought,  Pare  wMth  his  ligatures,  and  Fabry 
with  his  tourniquet,  both  to  stop  the  flowing 
blood.  Richard  Wiseman  was  a  great  mili- 
tary surgeon  of  this  time,  a  man  of  great  in- 
dividual skill,  but  the  ambulance  and  the  field- 
hospital  did  not  appear. 

By  1700  the  nations  of  Europe  had  begun  to 
appreciate  the  importance  of  both,  and  the 
long-delayed  Military  Medical  Service  was 
established  in  most  of  the  armies.  But,  for 
one  reason  or  another,  and  most  frequently 
because  of  the  inefficiency  or  dishonesty  of 
those  in  charge,  this  branch  failed  at  every 
test.  Great  surgeons  were  developed,  but  the 
ever  ready,  smooth-working  Service  of  Mercy 
was  still  impossible,  and  the  wounded  con- 
tinued to  suffer  as  they  had  for  countless  years 
before. 

The  French  Revolution  upset  everything. 
From  it  emerged  Napoleon,  whose  military 
genius  saw  the  imperative  need  of  better  treat- 
ment of  his  injured  men.  He  achieved  a 
small  medical  service,  and  on  his  Italian  cam- 
paign of  1797  he  was  accompanied  by  what 
he  called  his  "flying  ambulances,"  units  of 
four  wagons  each,  to  which  were  attached  one 
surgeon,  two  assistant-surgeons,  twelve  ordi- 
nary surgeons  and  fifty  attendants,  with  sup- 
plies and  medicines.  It  is  significant  that  this 
service  was  provided  only  for  the  Imperial 
Guard. 

FIRST    VOLUNTEER    RELIEF    ORGANIZATIONS 

The  first  stretcher-bearers  were  created  by 
Baron  Percy  for  the  British  army  in  1 8 13 — 
only  a  century  ago — and  this  same  enlightened 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 

Henri  Dunant:  Founder  of  the  Red  Cross 

Henri  Dunant,  whose  name  is  still  almost  unknown  was  in  a  very  real  sense  the  founder  of  the 
Red  Cross.  He  was  a  Swiss,  who,  having  personally  witnessed  the  suffering  of  the  wounded  left 
unaided  on  the  battlefield  of  Solferino,  wrote  an  account  of  his  observations  which  led  his  gov- 
ernment to  call  a  Congress  of  the  nations  at  Geneva  in  1864.  The  outcome  was  the  Treaty  of 
Geneva,    which   gave   birth   to   the    Red    Cross,     At  first  only  ten  nations  became  signatories  to  the 

treaty,  but  today  all  civilized  nations  subscribe  to   it. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


II 


nobleman  advocated  a  plan  whereby  all  the 
personnel  and  supplies  of  an  army's  medical 
service  should  be  considered  neutral.  He  was 
sixty  years  ahead  of  the  Geneva  Convention 
that  established  the  International  Red  Cross, 
and  his  plan  failed. 

The  end  of  the  Napoleonic  wars  had 
brought  about  the  formation  of  numerous 
volunteer  aid  associations  by  civilians.  This 
was  with  the  return  of  conscription,  and  with 
them  came  a  further  improvement  in  surgical 
technique.  But  the  two  vital  requirements 
to  successful  work  were  still  missing;  hither- 
to surgeons  had  cut  and  carved  without  anes- 
thetics. Chloroform  and  ether,  with  their 
merciful  oblivion,  were  unknown.  And  there 
was  no  surgical  cleanliness,  for  antisepsis  had 
not  been  discovered.  Dirty  knives  on  quiver- 
ing flesh  were  the  lot  of  the  wounded  man. 
Nobody  knew  any  better  until  Sir  James  Simp- 
son produced  chloroform  in  1847,  and  Lister, 
thirty  years  later,  brought  out  his  Germ 
Theory  of  Disease. 

FLORENCE   NIGHTINGALE 

The  British  army  in  the  Crimean  War  had 
no  ambulance  corps  or  transportation  for  its 
wounded,  and  but   1,089  medical  officers  for 
all  the  troops.     This  brutal  mismanagement 
brought  to  light  one  of  the  two  greatest  names 
in  the  history  of  all  war-relief,  that  of  Flor- 
ence   Nightingale.      This    English   girl,    born 
in    1820,   grew   up   to  see  the  misery  of   the 
poor  of  that  time,  and  the  filth  and  incompe- 
tence   of    what    few    hospitals    there    were. 
In    spite    of    her    position    and    means,    she 
dedicated  herself  to  the  improvement  of  Eng- 
lish  nursing   and    the   treatment   of   the   sick. 
She  spent  years  visiting  the  hospitals  of  the 
Continent,  working  at  the  lowliest  tasks,  and 
learning  everything  there  was  to  learn.     She 
returned  to  England  to  teach  what  she  had 
made  her  life's  work.     Then  came  the  Cri- 
mean War.     The  British  army  on  the  Penin- 
sula was  in  desperate  straits  for  medical .  as- 
sistance.     There   were    no    supplies,    no   ade- 
quate hospitals,   and   few  doctors.     The  sick 
and  wounded  were  unattended,  and  the  scan- 
dal was  told  in  England.     To  this  time  no 
female    nurses    had    ever    been    admitted    to 
British  military  hospitals.     The  Minister  of 
War   asked    Florence    Nightingale   to   go   to 


Scutari  and  take  charge  of  the  entire  medical 
service.  In  1854  she  came  with  38  nurses, 
all  women.  Nine  of  them  died,  and  Florence 
Nightingale  permanently  wrecked  her  health, 
but  she  won  out  against  stupidity  and  mis- 
management.    The  story  of  what  she  did  to 


Broivn  Bros. 

Florence  Nightingale 

Who   organized    and    accomplished   wonderful 
work    with    the    British    war    relief    during    the 
Crimean  War. 

build  hospitals  and  to  care  for  the  wounded 
men  has  been  told  a  hundred  times.  Her  work 
in  turning  a  plague-spot  into  a  clean  and 
bright  place  is  a  record  of  magnificent  devo- 
tion and  ability.  Upon  her  return  to  Eng- 
land she  was  given  a  Gratitude  Fund  of  $250,- 
000  by  the  people,  as  an  expression  of  their 
love  for  her.  With  it  she  founded  a  school 
for  nurses;  the  first  of  a  long  series  that  fol- 


12 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


lowed.  It  is  a  direct  result  of  this  noble 
woman's  tireless  efforts  that  the  soldier  of  to- 
day can  be  sent  to  a  well-equipped,  properly- 
staffed  hospital,  and  that  the  poor  can  call 
upon  a  competent  district-nurse,  ready  to  help 
them  without  cost  in  almost  every  part  of  the 
civilized  world.     What  Florence  Nightingale 


Brown  Bros. 

Clara  Barton 

Who  worked  four  years  in  the  field  as  Red  Cross 
nurse  in  the  Civil  War. 

did  to  make  easier  the  bed  of  pain  will  live 
as  long  as  human  gratitude. 

CLARA    RARTONT 

The  Other  name  is  that  of  Clara  Barton. 
In  1 86 1,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War, 
the  medical  staff  of  the  Union  Army  quickly 
proved  itself  inadequate  as  that  of  the  British 
in  the  Crimean  War.  In  that  year  the  women 
of  New  York  City  formed  the  Ladies  Central 


Association  for  Medical  Relief,  offering  their 
services  to  the  army.  Their  offer  was  not 
well  received,  whereupon  they  organized  at 
Washington  the  famous  "Sanitary  Commis- 
sion" and  took  in  twenty-one  prominent 
men,  who,  in  turn,  formed  a  new  committee 
for  relief  and  investigation.  This  last,  known 
as  The  Sanitary  Commission  of  Enquiry  and 
Advice  on  the  Hygienic  Interests  of  the 
Troops  of  the  United  States,  was  formally 
recognized  by  the  government.  This  group 
of  volunteers,  of  whom  Clara  Barton  was  one, 
accomplished  much.  The  men  were  attached 
to  the  several  armies,  and  the  women  supplied 
what  they  found  wanting,  whether  bandages, 
medical  supplies  or  money.  More  than  32,000 
local  associations  were  built  up  in  the  North- 
ern states,  and  2,000  women  and  an  equal 
number  of  men  were  sent  into  the  field  as 
nurses  and  attendants.  They  had  nine  ships 
as  hospitals,  a  well-developed  field-ambulance 
service,  and  many  establishments  for  tht 
wounded.  This  commission  undertook  and 
carried  out  the  most  complete  war-relief  serv- 
ice in  history.  Clara  Barton  went  through  it 
all  at  the  front,  in  more  than  four  years  of 
field-service.  She  had  her  own  wagons,  in 
which  she  carried  supplies  wherever  they  were 
needed,  and  was  especially  successful  in  trac- 
ing missing  soldiers.  So  greatly  were  her  ef- 
forts appreciated  that  in  i866  Congress  gave 
her  $50,000  to  repay  her  for  what  she  had 
spent  in  her  w^ar-work. 

THE   BIRTH   OF   THE   RED   CROSS 

While  our  Civil  War  was  at  its  height  there 
began  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean  the  move- 
ment that  was  to  result  in  the  greatest  of  all 
volunteer  relief-organizations,  the  Interna- 
tional Red  Cross.  In  1859  was  fought  the  bat- 
tle of  Solferino,  between  the  French  and  Sar- 
dinians and  their  enemies,  the  Austrians.  A 
Swiss,  Henri  Dunant,  saw  the  battle  and  the 
terrible  suffering  of  the  wounded,  who  re- 
ceived almost  no  aid.  So  strongly  was  he 
moved  that  he  wrote  an  account  of  what  he 
had  seen,  Un  Souvenir  de  Solferino,  as  a  re- 
sult of  which  the  Swiss  Federal  Council  in 
1864  called  a  meeting  of  delegates  of  the  great 
nations  at  Geneva.  This  was  the  beginning 
of  the  Treaty  of  Geneva,  at  which  was  born 
the  Red  Cross.     Among  the  first  signatories 


A  Large  Red  Cross  Flag 

But  not  large  enough  to  represent  the  great  work 


Brown  Bros. 


u 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


were  the  Swiss  Federal  Council  and  the  Em- 
peror of  France.  Ten  other  governments 
signed  the  agreement  at  that  time,  and  by 
I  goo  there  were  forty-two  signers.  The  em- 
blem that  has  shone  so  brightly  in  the  great 
war  just  finished  is  that  of  Switzerland,  the 
colors  reversed  to  a  red  cross  on  a  white  field, 
out  of  compliment  to  the  nation  that  took 
the  first  step  in  a  world-wide  errand  of  mercy. 
First  and  foremost,  the  members  of  the 
International  Red  Cross  agreed  to  make  neu- 
tral all  sanitary  supplies,  surgeons,  nurses,  at- 
tendants, and  wounded  soldiers — Baron 
Percy's  plan  of  sixty  years  before.  Next,  each 
nation  with  its  own  branch,  all  under  the  In- 
ternational, was  to  prepare  in  time  of  peace 
for  the  needs  of  war,  i.e.,  store  up  every  sort 
of  sanitary  supply,  ambulances,  money,  what- 
ever might  be  needed,  and  that  could  be 
given  by  the  generosity  of  the  people  of  that 
country,  , 

THE  UNITED  STATES  BECOMES  A  MEMBER 

The  United  States  had  two  delegates  at  the 
Council  of  Geneva,  but  we  did  not  become  a 
member.  Our  own  country  was  torn  with 
war,  and  people  were  already  doing  what  they 
could  for  the  relief  of  our  soldiers. 

When,  in  1870,  the  Franco-Prussian  war 
came,  Clara  Barton  went  to  the  front  as  a 
nurse.  She  saw  the  immense  value  of  the  Red 
Cross  service  to  the  belligerents,  and  deter- 
mined that  the  United  States  must  join.  She 
returned  home  and  urged  our  government 
to  become  a  member.  President  Garfield's 
term  ended  with  nothing  done,  and  Clara 
Barton  continued  her  efforts  with  President 
Arthur,  under  whose  administration,  in  1882, 
she  accomplished   her  purpose.     As  proof  of 


the  value  of  the  work  she  had  done,  she  was 
made  the  first  president  of  the  American  Na- 
tional Association  of  the  Red  Cross.  Because 
she  fought  her  battle  almost  single-handed 
until  we  joined  what  has  become  the  most 
important  organization  of  mercy  in  the  world, 
Clara  Barton's  name  will  be  written  in  letters 
of  gold  with  that  of  Florence  Nightingale. 

The  American  National  Association  of  the 
Red  Cross  was  founded  originally  for  war- 
service  only.  It  was  inevitable  that  such  an 
organization  must  seek  to  help  the  helpless 
whenever  it  could,  and  our  Red  Cross  has 
done  so  in  a  hundred  cases.  In  1882  occurred 
the  terrible  forest-fires  in  Michigan  and  the 
floods  of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  Rivers. 
Always  the  Red  Cross  was  there  with  sup- 
plies and  aid.  The  Texas  drouth,  when  thou- 
sands were  oh  the  point  of  starvation,  and  the 
yellow-fever  epidemic  in  Florida,  found  the 
Red  Cross  saving  lives.  The  Johnstown  flood, 
in  1889,  when  five  thousand  perished,  brought 
eager  men  and  women  who  labored  for  five 
months  to  help  the  homeless.  The  American 
emblem  traveled  to  Russia  in  that  land's  fam- 
ine of  1891-92,  and  to  Armenia  in  1895,  with 
food  and  clothing  from  a  rich  people  to  those 
who  had  none.  In  Cuba  the  reconcentrados 
found  the  Red  Cross  a  friend  in  need,  and 
when  we  went  to  war  with  Spain,  surgeons 
and  nurses  and  supplies  from  the  same  source 
followed  our  army  into  camp  and  bivouac. 

What  the  Red  Cross  has  done  through  the 
great  war,  how  splendidly  it  has  fulfilled  its 
purpose,  will  be  told  in  later  chapters.  But 
that  Council  of  Geneva  half  a  century  ago, 
when  the  Red  Cross  was  born,  was  a  turning 
point  in  the  world's  history.  It  was  the  be- 
ginning of  modern  militar}-  nursing,  and  it 
was  the  beginning  of   international  mercy. 


INVALIDED 
By  Edward  Shillito 


He  limps  along  the  city  street. 
Men   pass  him  with    a   pityin<j:  glance; 
He  is  not  there,  hut  on   the  sweet 
And  troubled  plains  of  France. 

Once  more  he  marches  with  the  guns, 
Reading  the    way   by    merry    signs, 
His   Regent    Street   through   trenches    runs. 
His   Strand    among   the   pines. 


For  there  his  comrades  jest   and   fight, 
And  others  sleep  in  that  fair  land ; 
They  call  him  back  in  dreams  of  night 
To  join  their  dwindling  band. 

He  may  not  go;  on  him  must  lie 

The  doom,  through  peaceful  years  to  live, 

To  have  a  sword  he  cannot  ply, 

A  life  he  cannot  give. 

From    the    Chronicle    (London) 


THE  RED  CROSS  IN  ACTION 

How  America  Responded  to  the  Call  for  Huge  Amounts  to  Support  the 

"Army  Behind  the  Army" 


UNDERTAKING  the  most  gigantic  re- 
lief task  in  the  history  of  mankind,  the 
American  Red  Cross  required  for  its  work 
in  the  world  war,  after  the  United  States  en- 
tered the  conflict,  a  sum  of  money  far  in  ex- 
cess of  any  amount  ever  before  contributed 
for  a  similar  purpose. 

Between  the  day  the  state  of  war  was  de- 
clared and  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  the 
American  people  donated  to  the  organization 
for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors  and 
for  relief  work  in  the  United  States  and  the 
Allied  countries,  over  $400,000,000  in  money 
and  supplies. 

From  a  single  campaign,  the  Second  War 
Fund  Drive,  there  was  collected  about  $170,- 
000,000,  only  $100,000,000  having  been  asked. 

In  the  First  War  Fund  Drive,  there  was 
also  an  over-subscription,  the  total  passing 
$114,000,000. 

The  First  Christmas  Membership  Roll  Call 
netted  nearly  $24,500,000,  and  about  $18,- 
000,000  was  collected  from  the  Second  Christ- 
mas Roll  Call. 

Various  local  Red  Cross  activities  brought 
in  large  and  small  sums  to  the  chapters,  and 
in  addition  to  the  donations  of  money,  8,000,- 
000  patriotic  women  members  in  every  part  of 
the  country  toiled  unceasingly  producing  sol- 
diers' comforts,  hospital  necessities  and  refu- 
gee clothing, — over  371,500,000  relief  ar- 
ticles— valued  at  approximately  $94,000,000. 

These  tremendous  results  were  attained  by 
arousing  the  whole  country, — men,  women 
and  children, — to  the  significance  of  the  Red 
Cross  as  the  nation's  officially  recognized  re- 
lief organization  and  to  the  magnitude  of  the 
task  confronting  it.  To  accomplish  this, 
the  oratorical,  literar>%  artistic  and  organizing 
genius  of  the  nation  was  mobilized  and 
through  this  combined  power  every  form  of 
appeal  was  employed,  v/ith  success  that  ful- 
filled the  highest  hopes. 


THE   CALL  FOR   MERCY 

The  foundation  for  the  part  the  American 
Red  Cross  was  to  play  in  the  war  was  laid 
coincidently  with  the  formal  entrance  of  the 
nation  into  the  struggle.  Even  in  the  multi- 
tude of  responsibilities  that  were  his  at  that 
tremendous  moment,  President  Woodrow  Wil- 
son, who  was  also  President  of  the  American 
Red  Cross,  foresaw  clearly  the  duties  that 
would  be  imposed  upon  it  by  virtue  of  its 
congressional  charter  as  the  official  volunteer 
relief  organization.  On  the  same  day  that 
he  signed  the  joint  war  resolution  the  Presi- 
dent issued  to  the  people  a  statement  in  which 
he  said: 

"In  order  that  the  relief  w^ork  which  is 
undoubtedly  ahead  of  us  should  be  made  tho- 
roughly efficient,  it  is  most  desirable  that  it 
should  be  coordinated  and  concentrated  under 
one  organization.  ...  As  the  President  of 
the  American  Red  Cross,  our  branch  of  the 
great  international  organization,  I  most  ear- 
nestly commend  it  to  your  confidence  and  your 
support.  Upon  your  aid,  upon  the  amounts 
and  promptness  of  your  gifts  and  cooperation, 
must  depend  the  fulfillment  of  the  duties  that 
are  imposed  upon  it.  It  serves  so  noble  and 
beneficent  a  purpose  that  it  must  appeal  to  all 
who  love  their  country  and  who  love  hu- 
manity." 

The  adjustment  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
to  a  war  footing  was  effected  May  10,  191 7, 
when  the  President,  as  head  of  the  organiza- 
tion, appointed  a  War  Council  of  seven  mem- 
bers, headed  by  Henry  P.  Davison,  of  New- 
York,  to  direct  all  the  activities  of  the  or- 
ganization in  the  war.  The  other  original 
members  of  the  War  Council  were  Charles  D. 
Norton,  Maj.  Grayson  M.  P.  Murphy,  Cor- 
nelius N.  Bliss,  Jr.,  Edward  N.  Hurley,  and 
William  Howard  Taft  and  Eliot  Wadsworth, 
of  the  Central  Committee,  ex-officio  members. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


17 


Messrs.  Hurley  and  Norton  and  Maj.  Mur- 
phy were  called  to  other  duties  and  resigned 
from  the  War  Council,  their  places  being 
taken  successively  by  Harvey  D.  Gibson,  John 
D.  Ryan,  George  E.  Case,  George  E.  Scott, 
and  Jesse  H.  Jones. 

Announcing  the  appointment  of  the  War 
Council,  President  Wilson  sounded  the  key- 
note of  its  purpose  in  a  statement  in  which  he 
said : 

"I  have  today  created  within  the  Red  Cross 
a  War  Council,  to  which  will  be  intrusted 
the  duty  of  responding  to  the  extraordinary 
demands  which  the  present  war  will  make 
upon  the  services  of  the  Red  Cross,  both  in 
the  field  and  in  civilian  relief.  The  best  way 
in  which  to  impart  the  greatest  efficiency  and 
energy  to  the  relief  work  which  this  war  will 
entail  will  be  to  concentrate  it  in  the  hands 
of  a  single  experienced  organization  which  has 
been  recognized  by  law  and  by  international 
convention  as  the  public  instrumentality  for 
such  purposes. 

"Indeed,  such  a  concentration  of  adminis- 
trative action  in  this  matter  seems  to  me  ab- 
solutely necessary,  and  I  hereby  earnestly  call 
upon  all  those  who  can  contribute  either  great 
sums  or  small,  to  the  alleviation  of  the  suf- 
fering and  distress  which  must  inevitably 
arise  out  of  this  fight  for  humanity  and  de- 
mocracy, to  contribute  to  the  Red  Cross.  .  .  ." 

The  first  task  confronting  the  War  Coun- 
cil was  the  raising  of  adequate  funds  by  popu- 
lar subscription  with  which  to  carry  on  its 
work,  and  a  National  War  Finance  Commit- 
tee, headed  by  Cleveland  H.  Dodge,  of  New 
York,  was  appointed  by  President  Wilson  to 
conduct  the  campaign.  Every  part  of  the 
country  was  represented  in  the  membership  of 
this  committee,  the  other  members  of  which 
were  Henry  P.  Davison,  vice-chairman ; 
Seward  Prosser,  of  New  York,  executive 
committee  chairman ;  Charles  S.  Ward,  secre- 
tary; Harvey  J.  Hill,  associate  secretary;  Sec- 
retary of  the  Treasury  William  G.  McAdoo, 
treasurer;  Cornelius  N.  Bliss,  Jr.,  of  New 
York;  Henry  L.  Corbett,  of  Portland,  Ore.; 
William  H.  Crocker,  of  San  Francisco;  R.  F. 
Grant,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Frank  B.  Hayne, 
of  NcM^  Orleans;  Francis  L.  Higginson,  Jr., 
of  Boston;  Louis  W.  Hill,  of  St.  Paul;  Vance 
C.  McCormick,  of  Harrisburg,  Pa. ;  John  B. 
Miller,   of   Pasadena,   Cal. ;   Henry   Morgen- 


ir)      r')/(/i')  ;i('[',/   and    L' iidci'<.i.'ooJ. 

Henry  P.   Davison 

At  the  head  of  the  War  Council  to  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  in  the  Red  Cross  parade,   1917. 

thau,  of  New  York;  Charles  D.  Norton,  of 
New  York;  Frank  S.  Peabody,  of  Chicago; 
George  Wharton  Pepper,  of  Philadelphia; 
Lawrence  G.  Phelps,  Sr.,  of  Denver;  Julius 
Rosenwald,  of  Chicago ;  Joseph  P.  Tumulty, 
of  Washington ;  Festus  J.  Wade,  of  St.  Louis ; 
Eliot  Wadsworth,  of  Boston. 

Then  began  the  building  of  the  organiza- 


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Vii— 3 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY  19 

tion  through  which  the  needs  of  the  soldiers  The  next  step  was  to  apportion  the  $100,- 

and    of    the    suffering    civilian     populations  000,000  asked  for  in  suitable  amount  among 

abroad  were  brought  home  to  the  American  the   states,   cities   and   towns   throughout   the 

people  to  the  end  that  they  should  contribute  country.     A  national  organization  to  conduct 

funds  to  the  Red  Cross  with   unprecedented  the   campaign    through    the   local   Red   Cross 

generosity.      It  was  decided   to  appeal   for  a  chapters  was  improvised,   and   from   the  first 

War  Fund  of  $100,000,000  with  which  to  be-  there  was  widespread  popular  enthusiasm  for 

gin  the  relief  task  and  the  President,  by  proc-  the  project  that  presaged   the  success  it  was 

lamation,  designated  the  week  of  June  18  to  to   prove.      Before    the    "drive"    began    many 

June  25,  191 7,  as  "Red  Cross  Week"  for  the  communities  voluntarily  increased  the  quotas 

collection  of  money.  assigned  them,  and  when  the  returns  were  all 

in   it   was   found    that   practically   every   city 

RED  CROSS  WEEK  ^"  ^^^  Country  exceeded  the  goal  set  for  it. 

Red  Cross  Week  was  formally  ushered  in 

The    President's    proclamation,    laying   the  by   President  Wilson  sending  to  the  mayors 

outline    of    the    appeal    through    which    the  of   one   hundred   large  cities   where   intensive 

hearts  of  the  people  were  to  be  reached,  was  campaigns  were  beginning  the  following  tele- 

as  follows:  gram: 

"Inasmuch  as  our  thoughts  as  a  nation  are  "The  American  people,  by  their  overwhelm- 
now  turned  in  united  purpose  towards  the  ing  subscription  to  the  Liberty  Loan,  have 
performance  to  the  utmost  of  the  service  and  given  a  new  endorsement  to  the  high  princi- 
duties  which  we  have  assumed  in  the  cause  pies  for  which  America  entered  the  war. 
of  justice  and  liberty;  During   the   week    now    beginning,    which    I 

"Inasmuch  as  but  a  small  proportion  of  our  have  designated   as   'Red   Cross  Week,'   they 

people  can  have  the  opportunity  to  serve  upon  will  have   a  unique  privilege  of   manifesting 

the  actual  field  of  battle,  but  all  men,  women  America's    unselfishness    as    well    as    the    real 

and   children    alike   may   serve   effectively   by  spirit  of  sacrifice  that  animates  our  people, 

making  it  possible  to  care  properly  for  those  "May   I    urge   that  your  city   do   its   part 

who  do  serve  under  arms  at  home  and  abroad;  in  the  raising  of  the  $100,000,000  Red  Cross 

"And,  inasmuch  as  the  American  Red  Cross  War   Fund,   measuring  the  generosity  of   its 

is  the  official  recognized  agency  for  voluntary  gifts  by  the  urgency  of  the  need?" 

effort   in   behalf  of   the   armed    forces   of   the  Although  there  had  been  only  a  month  in 

nation   and   for  the  administration   of  relief;  which   to  prepare   for  the  huge   undertaking, 

"Now,  therefore,  by  virtue  of  my  authority  those  in  charge  had  striven  so  mightily  that 
as  President  of  the  United  States  and  Presi-  the  country  was  well  organized  for  the  cam- 
dent  of  the  American  Red  Cross,  I,  Wood-  paign.  A  group  of  men  skilled  in  financial 
row  Wilson,  do  hereby  proclaim  the  week  matters  and  in  campaigning  for  funds,  had 
ending  June  25,  191 7,  as  'Red  Cross  Week,'  gone  through  the  country,  which  had  been  cut 
during  which  the  people  of  the  United  States  into  five  divisions,  organizing  the  drive, 
will  be  called  upon  to  give  generously  and  in 
a  spirit  of  patriotic  sacrifice  for  the  support 
and  maintenance  of  this  work  of  national 
need."  There  was  at  national  headquarters  a  small 

Plans  for  the  campaign  were  outlined  at  a  publicity  organization  and  through  this  the 
conference  called  by  the  War  Council  and  men  in  the  field  had  been  supplied  with  book- 
held  in  Washington  May  24th  and  25th.  lets,  posters,  advertising  copy,  placards,  street- 
Participating  in  this  conference  were  Secre-  car  signs,  banners,  slogans  for  electric  signs, 
tary  of  War  Newton  D.  Baker,  General  John  pictures  for  lantern  slides,  material  for  ser- 
J.  Pershing,  Herbert  Hoover,  former  Presi-  mons  and  lectures,  newspaper  features  and 
dent  William  Howard  Taft,  Ian  Malcolm,  general  advice.  All  the  while  the  group  of 
representing  the  British  Red  Cross,  and  other  men  helping  to  direct  the  campaign  from 
prominent  men  familiar  with  the  needs  of  the  Washington  grew  in  size  and  ideas;  and  cam- 
situation,  paign  arrangements  grew  by  leaps  and  bounds. 


THE  RIVALRY  OF   HEARTS 


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THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


21 


But  in  all  the  organization  there  was 
nothing  intended  to  squeeze  money  out  of 
any  unwilling  "prospect,"  or  to  trick  any  one 
into  giving  who  did  not  wish  to  give.  The 
purpose  of  the  organization  was  to  accomplish 
its  task  by  acquainting  the  people  with  the 
fact  that  the  situation  demanded  an  average  of 
a  dollar  apiece  from  every  man,  woman  and 
child  in  the  more  than  100,000,000  popula- 
tion. 

The  general  plan  followed  in  the  big  cities 
called  for  one  general  leader ;  under  him  were 
leaders  of  ten  teams  of  ten  prominent  men 
each,  and  the  greatest  rivalry  developed.  This 
rivalry  extended  in  every  direction  and  finally 
cropped  up  between  cities. 

"Wire  us  what  Cincinnati  is  doing,"  was 
the  demand  by  wire  from  St.  Louis,  Cincin- 
nati's historic  rival  in  baseball  and  business. 
"Are  we  keeping  up  with  Detroit?"  queried 
Minneapolis. 

In  addition  to  many  large  gifts  from  pri- 
vate individuals,  "Red  Cross  dividends"  were 
declared  by  banks,  corporations  and  business 
concerns  of  all  kinds.  Some  of  these  contribu- 
tions, notably  that  from  the  Rockefeller  Foun- 
dation, and  the  special  dividends  from  the 
United  States  Steel  Corporation  and  the  Ana- 
conda Copper  Mining  Co.,  amounted  to  mil- 
lions of  dollars. 

AN  AVALANCHE  OF  MONEY  GIFTS 

The  campaign  brought  many  miscellaneous 
gifts,  among  them  a  credit  of  $500,000  given 
by  the  Ford  Motor  Co.,  to  be  used  for  auto- 
mobiles, motor  ambulances  or  parts;  a  credit 
of  $250,000  for  telegraph  and  cable  service 
given  by  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Com- 
pany; 15,000,000  cigarettes,  20,000  packages 
of  smoking  tobacco  and  10,000  cuts  of  chewing 
tobacco  from  the  Liggett  and  Myers  Tobacco 
Company;  1,500,000  cigarettes  from  the  P. 
Lorillard  Company;  a  completely  equipped 
motor  kitchen  from  Louis  Sherry  of  New 
York ;  the  rent-free  building  and  ground  of 
the  Medico-Chirurgical  Hospital,  donated  by 
the  city  of  Philadelphia;  20,000  feet  of  ware- 
house space  and  terminal  facilities  donated  by 
the  Bush  Terminal,  of  Brooklyn. 

One  after  another  the  big  cities  reported 
they  had  passed  their  quota.  Wilmington, 
Del.,  first  called  upon  to  raise  $200,000,  in- 


creased its  quota  to  $500,000  and  finally  sub- 
scribed over  $1,000,000,  exclusive  of  $750,000 
from  a  Du  Pont  Powder  Company  dividend. 
At  Baltimore  $447,000  was  raised  at  a  sin- 
gle meeting.  In  New  Mexico  the  B.  P.  O. 
Elks  took  charge  of  the  campaign,  devising 
many  novel  money-raising  schemes.  In  some 
places  washerwomen  and  laborers  gave  the 
proceeds  of  a  day's  work.  A  Slav  woman  in 
Ohio   donated    a   hen   and   a   dozen    of   eggs, 


Drau'ii   by  Harrison   Fisher.      ©     Broivn   Bros. 

The  Red  Cross  Nurse 

Hundreds  of  American  artists  used  their  brushes 
to  swell  the  Red  Cross  funds. 


which,  auctioned  ofiF,  brought  $2,002.  A  de- 
scendant of  Betsy  Ross  at  Newark,  N.  J., 
made  a  flag  which  brought  $500.  The  Coun- 
tess de  Turczynewicz,  whose  castle  in  Poland 
was  commandeered  by  Gen.  von  Hindenburg 
during  the  Prussian  invasion,  a  stable  being 
made  of  the  drawing  room,  told  her  story  at 
a  Montclair,  N.  J.,  meeting  at  which  $102,- 
000  was  raised. 

The  most  spectacular  touch  was  given  to 
the  campaign  by  the  girl  flier,  Katherine  Stin- 
son,  who  carried  the  contribution  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  to  the  Treasury  at 
Washington  by  airplane. 


22 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


When  all  returns  were  in  it  was  found 
that  the  people's  patriotism,  spirit  of  sacrifice, 
and  desire  to  help  those  upon  whom  the  bur- 
den of  war  rested  had  more  than  equaled 
expectations,  for  total  collections  of  $114,- 
000,000  were  recorded.  There  then  remained 
the  task  of  collecting  the  largest  philanthropic 
donation  ever  made,  up  to  that  time,  and  the 
Central  Trust  Co.  of  New  York,  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Red 
Cross,  became  assistant  treasurer  of  the  War 
Fund,  maintaining  at  its  own  expense  offices 
in  New  York  and  Washington,  and  assuming 
charge  of  all  collections. 

THE    SECOND   CAMPAIGN 

The  second  great  campaign  undertaken  by 
the  War  Council  was  the  Christmas  Member- 
ship Drive  during  the  week  of  December  17  to 
24,  191 7.  When  the  United  States  entered 
the  war  the  membership  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  totaled  less  than  500,000,  divided 
among  about  500  chapters.  By  November  i, 
191 7,  the  enrollment  had  increased  to  over 
5,000,000  and  while  there  were  then  3,287 
chapters,  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  obtain 
a  much  larger  membership. 

The  rapid  growth  of  the  Red  Cross  made 
it  necessary  in  the  summer  of  191 7  to  devise 
some  system  of  decentralizing  the  work  so  that 
maximum  productivity  would  be  obtained. 
Accordingly,  as  the  result  of  a  conference  of 
Red  Cross  leaders  from  all  over  the  country 
held  at  Chicago,  the  nation  was  divided  into 
thirteen  divisions,  each  group  being  independ- 
ent of  the  others,  each  reporting  to  national 
headquarters  and  receiving  instructions  direct- 
ly from  it.  The  plan  was  put  into  effect 
September  i,  and  later  a  Fourteenth  Division, 
embracing  American  Red  Cross  work  in  the 
territorial,  insular  and  foreign  chapters,  was 
formed. 

THE   RED    CROSS   CHRISTMAS 

Up  to  that  time  membership  effort  had 
been  carried  on  by  a  succession  of  local  cam- 
paigns with  splendid  results,  but  a  way  which 
would  cover  the  whole  country's  first  year 
in  the  war  was  wanted,  and  people  were 
thinking  of  a  way  in  which  Christmas  might  be 
suitably  celebrated.  Out  of  this  came  the 
idea  that  it  should  be  a  Red  Cross  Christrnas, 


and  that  the  people  would  welcome  an  oppor- 
tunity to  show  their  thought  for  the  soldier 
and  the  sailor  and  the  afflicted  countries  in 
such  a  simple  way  as  that  of  joining  the  Red 
Cross.  With  the  thought,  then,  of  making 
Christmas  a  time  for  the  renewal  of  allegiance 
to  the  Red  Cross  the  Christmas  Membership 
Campaign  was  planned  and  put  before  the 
country. 

"Make  this  a  Red  Cross  Christmas"  was 
the  slogan  of  the  campaign,  and  the  appeal 
throughout  was  for  a  great  membership  to 
show  the  soldiers  and  our  Allies  that  at  Christ- 
mas, in  the  first  year  of  the  war,  the  whole 
thought  of  the  country  was  for  them.  The 
telling  features  of  the  drive  were  the  little 
paper  Service  Flag  that  thereafter  became  the 
familiar  mark  in  the  homes  of  members  of 
the  Red  Cross,  and  the  Red  Cross  lapel  but- 
ton. 

The  campaign  was  inaugurated  by  President 
Wilson,  when  this  statement  from  the  White 
House  was   printed   throughout  the  country: 

"You  should  join  the  Red  Cross  because  this 
arm  of  the  National  Service  is  steadily  and  ef- 
ficiently maintaining  its  overseas  relief  in 
every  suffering  land,  administering  our  mil- 
lions wisely  and  well,  and  awakening  the  grati- 
tude of  every  people.  Our  conscience  will 
not  let  us  enjoy  the  Christmas  season  if  this 
pledge  of  support  to  our  cause  and  the  world's 
weal  is  left  unfulfilled.  Red  Cross  member- 
ship is  the  Christmas  spirit  in  terms  of  ac- 
tion." 

The  first  aim  was  five  million  new  mem- 
berships. When  the  campaign  was  actually 
launched,  however,  the  goal  was  set  at  ten 
million,  and  when  the  drive  was  over  it  was 
found  that  in  one  week  sixteen  million  new 
members  had  been  enrolled,  bringing  the  total 
membership,  exclusive  of  school  children,  up 
to  approximately  20,000,000. 

Most  of  the  new  members  were  of  the  dol- 
lar class,  and  one-half  of  the  dues  was  retained 
by  the  chapters  in  accordance  with  the  by- 
laws and  the  other  half  sent  to  National  Head- 
quarters, where  it  went  into  the  general  fund 
of  the  Red  Cross. 

THE  SECOND  WAR  FUND  DRIVE 

The  highest  money-raising  achievement  of 
the  Red  Cross  during  the  war  came  in  the  Sec- 


Red  Cross  Poster 


24 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


ond  War  Fund  Drive.  Generous  as  was  the 
response  of  the  American  people  to  the  first 
appeal,  the  extent  of  the  work  carried  on  dur- 
ing the  first  year  of  the  country's  participa- 
tion in  the  struggle  made  it  necessary,  in  the 
spring  of  1918,  to  ask  for  additional  funds, 
and  again  the  people  were  asked  to  contribute 
$100,000,000  to  the  Red  Cross. 

After  several  postponements,  to  avoid  con- 
flict with  governmental  undertakings,  the  Sec- 
ond War  Fund  Drive  was  held  in  the  week 
of  May  20-27.  1  he  National  War  Finance 
Committee  was  enlarged  and  elaborate  plans 
were  laid  for  an  intensive  campaign.  From 
the  membership  of  the  national  committee  a 
division  chairman  was  appointed  in  each  of  the 
fourteen  divisions  of  the  Red  Cross,  to  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  entire  campaign  in  that  divi- 
sion. 

The  national  organization  provided  the 
background  of  publicity  for  the  drive,  con- 
sisting of  posters,  buttons,  advertising  pages, 
newspaper  publicity,  magazine  articles  and 
other  features.  A  series  of  campaign  plan 
books,  describing  all  technical  arrangements 
in  detail  and  containing  full  instructions  for 
local  campaigns,  were  placed  in  the  hands  of 
every  chapter  campaign   committee. 

The  publicity  connected  with  this  campaign 
proved  the  most  ambitious  undertaking  of  the 
sort  up  to  that  time.  In  addition  to  news- 
paper and  magazine  publicity  obtained,  prac- 
tically every  farm,  trade,  fraternal  and  school 
periodical  and  house  organ  in  the  country 
gave  generously  of  its  space.  News  and  spe- 
cial articles  prepared  in  forms  suited  to  the 
varied  character  of  the  publication  were  sup- 
plied in  quantity.  The  artists  of  the  country 
contributed  a  remarkably  effective  series  of 
posters  with  which  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land  was  covered.  Car  card  space  in 
eighty  per  cent,  of  the  car  systems  was  do- 
nated, while  the  bill  posting  industry  gave 
space  on  its  boards  for  24-sheet  lithographs. 
Millions  of  inserts  were  sent  out  by  the  big 
insurance  companies  with  their  premium  no- 
tices and  countless  other  means  of  bringing 
the  drive  home  to  the  people  were  employed. 
Foringer's  "The  Greatest  Mother  in  the 
World,"  which  came  to  be  known  as  "The  Red 
Cross  Madonna,"  appeared  as  a  poster  in  this 
campaign,  reproduced  in  many  forms. 

One  of  the  most  notable  enterprises  of  this 


campaign  was  the  record-breaking  Red  Cross 
benefit  tour  of  an  all-star  cast  in  the  theatrical 
production  "Out  There,"  the  proceeds  of 
which,  totaling  $760,000,  went  to  the  war 
fund.  John  McCormack  in  a  single  tour 
raised  $100,000,  which  he  turned  over  to  the 
fund,  v\hile  the  wool  sheared  from  Presi- 
dent Wilson's  flock  of  White  House  sheep, 
auctioned  off  through  the  country,  brought 
about  $30,000.  Golf,  tennis  and  other  sports 
contributed  through  the  proceeds  of  tourna- 
ments held  for  the  Red  Cross. 

RED   CROSS    SUNDAY 

Every  minister  was  asked  to  make  May  19 
"Red  Cross  Sunday,"  and  there  were  special 
sermons  and  exercises  featuring  the  occasion. 
Labor  organizations,  trade  associations.  Ro- 
tary Clubs  and  fraternal  bodies  of  all  sorts 
gave  their  assistance.  In  10,000  moving  pic- 
ture theaters  the  motion  picture  "The  Spirit 
of  the  Red  Cross"  and  the  shorter  reels,  "Hu- 
manity's Appeal"  and  "Service  on  the  West- 
ern Front,"  were  shown  with  telling  effect, 
and  in  theaters  of  all  kinds  Four  Minute  Men 
made  their  appeal. 

The  campaign  was  opened  by  President 
Wilson,  who  went  to  New  York  to  lead  70,- 
000  marchers  in  a  Red  Cross  parade  down 
Fifth  Avenue,  while  in  2,000  other  cities  and 
towns  similar  processions  passed  through  the 
principal  streets. 

The  campaign  was  notable  throughout  for 
the  interest  aroused.  Its  keynote  was  the  at- 
tempt, not  only  to  raise  money,  but  to  interest 
and  educate  the  whole  country  to  the  import- 
ance of  the  Red  Cross  by  telling,  in  a  clear 
cut  intimate  way,  how  its  many  activities  were 
being  carried  on  in  every  part  of  the  world. 
This  included  an  understandable  accounting 
of  the  expenditure  of  the  money  raised  in  the 
First  War  Fund  Campaign ;  the  verdict  of 
approval  was  found  in  the  heavy  over-subscrip- 
tion of  the  amount  asked.  Although  the  goal 
was  set  at  only  $100,000,000,  gross  collections 
to    June    I,    1919,    amounted    to    $169,575,- 

598.84. 

This  campaign  brought  home  to  the  Amer- 
ican people  the  significance  of  the  Red  Cross 
with  an  intensity  never  before  approached. 
Its  emblem  and  what  it  stood  for,  proved  by 
a  year  of  service  at  the  front  and  at  home  as 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


25 


©     Underivood  and   Underwood. 

The  Kaiser  Helped  the  American  Red  Cross 

The  war  fund  of  the  Red  Cross  was  materially  increased  by   the   gift   of   a   solid   gold  cup   once 
awarded  to  an  American  yachtsman  for  winning  a  transatlantic  yacht  race  to  Kiel.     It  was  melted 
into  bullion,  and  the  proceeds  were  devoted  to  Red  Cross  work. 


the  "Army  behind  the  Army,"  was  impressed 
upon  the  public  in  a  way  to  make  it  unforget- 
table. It  was  truly  said  that  now,  even  though 
printed  in  black,  the  five-square  cross  of  the 
organization  appeared  red  to  the  observer, 
"and  of  what  other  emblem,  save  the  Ameri- 
can flag,  can  this  be  said?" 

The  second  drive  for  members  came  after 
the  signing  of  the  armistice,  at  Christmas, 
1918,  but  the  far-flung  activities  of  the  Red 
Cross  had  not  been  appreciably  diminished,  and 


this  Christmas  Roll  Call  was  another  tremen- 
dous success.  The  full  power  of  the  publicity 
machinery  of  the  Red  Cross  that  had  been 
building  during  the  months  of  war  was  ex- 
erted with  the  result  that,  although  hostilities 
had  ceased,  19,000,000  Americans  enrolled  as 
members  of  the  organization. 

One  of  the  most  effective  features  of  the 
campaign  was  President  Wilson's  signed  pos- 
ter bearing  under  his  photograph  the  word  "I 
Summon  You  to  the  Comradeship  of  the  Red 


"UOr^ftu  Ui 


Loyalty  To  Both 


To  Two  Flags 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


27 


Cross,"  Another  effective  appeal  was  the  pos- 
ter inscribed  "All  You  Need  Is  a  Heart  and 
a  Dollar."  A  specially  prepared  motion  pic- 
ture, "The  Greatest  Gift,"  was  displayed 
throughout  the  country  with  telling  effect, 
while  a  Red  Cross  masque  was  also  produced 
with  success  at  numerous  points.  Parades 
aroused  enthusiasm  wherever  they  were  held, 
and  in  New  York  monster  block  parties  and 
an  elaborate  decoration  of  Fifth  Avenue  were 
features  of  the  workers'  efforts.  In  every  com- 
munity throughout  the  land  the  mobilized 
force  of  speakers  made  their  appeal  for  uni- 
versal membership,  while  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  women  and  girls  made  a  personal 
canvass  wherever  people  were. 

THE   RED    CROSS   WAR    FUND 

Its  work  of  directing  the  war  activities  of 
the  American  Red  Cross  accomplished,  the 
War  Council  dissolved  March  i,  1919-  Be- 
low is  an  accounting  of  the  many  millions 
placed  in  its  hands  for  war  relief  between 
July  I,  1917,  and  February  28,   1919- 

AH  revenues  from  the  First  and  Second 
War  Fund  drives,  as  well  as  the  interest 
thereon,  were  placed  in  the  Red  Cross  War 
Fund  and  no  appropriations  were  made  from 
this  fund  for  other  than  actual  war  relief. 
Appropriations  from  the  various  funds,  from 
July  I,  1917,  to  February  28,  1919.  were  as 
follows : 


WAR    FUND    UNRESTRICTED 

Relief    Work    in    France $55,869,831.77 

"     BLlgium     3,875,161.12 

"     Italy     11.970,720.77 

"  "         "     Great    Britain     11,224,227.38 

"  "         "      Switzerland     2,090,481.33 

"  "         "     Balkan    States    4.545.097-o9 

*•  "         "     Palestine     2,310,054.08 

"  "         "     Russia     2,240,167.02 

"  "         "     Siberia    8,225,769.67 

"  "         "     Poland    2,000,000.00 

"              "         "  Other     Foreign     Countries  13,508.603.04 

Relief  Work   for   Prisoners 26,020.00 

Equipment   and   Expenses  in   U.   S.   for  Per- 
sonnel    for     Europe 1,984,110.54 

Total  Relief  Work— Foreign  Countries.  .$1 19,870,249.81 

U.  S.  Army    Base    Hospitals $  94.557.73 

U.   S.   Navy    Base    Hospitals    37,411.51 

U.   S.   Medical  and   Hospital   Work    6,774.934oo 

U.   S.   Sanitary  Service 583.030.12 

U.  S.  Camp   Service    9,268,161.73 

U.  S.  Miscellaneous    2,287.864.55 

Total    Relief    in    U.    S $   i9.045.959.f^4 

Raw   Materials    Shipped    to   Chapters $     3,204.667.78 

Total  War  Fund  Unrestricted $142,120,877.23 


WAR    FUND    RESTRICTED 

(Made  up  of  funds  for  certain  work  speci- 
fied by  contributors) $     7,904,767.00 


Total  War  Fund    $150,025,644.23 


GENERAL   FUND 

The  General  Fund  derives  its  principal 
income  from  that  portion  of  membership  dues 
which  is  remitted  to  the  National  Treasury. 

Appropriations  are  made  from  this  fund 
to  cover  the  operations  of  administration, 
managerial,  relief  and  supplies  bureaus,  col- 
lections and  enrollments  and  certain  substan- 
tial relief  projects. 

The  following  appropriations  were  made 
for  the  period  July  i,  191 7,  to  February  28, 
1919: 

Relief  Activities    $  366,435.73 

Headquarters  Relief  Operations   1,107,401.26 

Headquarters   Supply   Operations   329,370.37 

Headquarters    Administrative    Operations.  .  1,552.756.98 

Divisional   Relief   Operations 1,619,654.04 

Divisional   Supply   Opeiations    2,659.138.63 

Divisional  Administrative  Operations   2,807,001.05 

Transportation     of     Supplies 2,121,491.98 

PCi  c  Warehouse  Operations 420,344.74 

Collections  and  Enrollments    2.788,117.46 

Other   General   Fund  Activities    772.342.41 

Total  General   Fund    $   16,544,055.25 


OTHER   FUNDS 

(Consisting  of  Contingent  Relief  Fund, 
which  is  provided  for  disaster  relief 
work;  Special  Relief  Funds,  for  relief 
projects  specified  by  donors;  and  Miscel- 
laneous Funds  for  special  activities 
authorized  by  War  Council  and  Execu- 
tive Committee)    $     2,525,411.85 

Grand  Total  Appropriations $169,095,111.33 

In  addition  to  the  above  there  was  in- 
vested in  supplies  to  be  used  at  a  later 
date  and  advanced  to  fiscal  officers  to  be 
accounted    for    later     $6 1.500,000.00 

Also  in  addition  to  the  above  Chapters 
expended  for  operations,  supplies,  local  war 
relief,   and    so    forth $99,000,000.00 

How  the  Red  Cross  dollar  was  spent. 


The  Great  Healer 

Drawn   by   Cesare   of   New  York  Evening   Po^t 


Courtesv  Red  Cross  Magazine. 


THE  RED  CROSS  AND  THE  SOLDIER 

The  Story  of  Its  Tireless  Activities  in  Aid  of  the  Fighting  Forces — The 
Triumph  of  a  Vast  Organization  in  Many  Fields 


THE  primary  function  of  the  Red  Cross 
in  war  is  to  provide  volunteer  relief  to 
the  sick  and  wounded,  and  to  serve  as  a  medium 
of  communication  between  the  soldiers  and  sail- 
ors and  home.  But  in  this  greatest  of  strug- 
gles its  activities  for  the  fighting  men  covered 
a  much  wider  field.  From  the  time  the  sol- 
dier or  sailor  was  called  to  the  colors  until 
he  had  paid  the  supreme  sacrifice  or  had  been 
demobilized,  the  American  Red  Cross  was 
ever  at  hand  to  assist  him  in  the  innumerable 
ways  possible  only  to  a  great  volunteer  or- 
ganization officially  recognized. 

Not  only  did  it  recruit,  organize  and  equip 
hospital  and  ambulance  units,  and  assist  in 
the  care  of  the  sick  and  wounded  in  emergen- 
cies, mobilize  nurses  for  the  army  and  navy, 
and  provide  the  connecting  link  between  the 
soldier  and  his  family;  the  labor  of  millions 
of  volunteer  Red  Cross  women  provided  the 
fighters  with  knitted  garments  not  a  part  of 
their  Army  equipment,  as  well  as  veritable 
mountains  of  surgical  dressings  and  other  med- 
ical supplies. 

Canteens  established  at  hundreds  of  points 
in  this  countrj'  and  in  the  war  zone  provided 
the  traveling  and  battle-worn  soldier  with 
food,  tobacco  and  other  creature  comforts. 

The  Home  Service  of  the  Red  Cross  helped 
maintain  morale  by  rendering  assistance  in 
many  forms  to  soldiers'  and  sailors'  families. 

Fighters  held  prisoner  in  enemy  countries 
were  located  by  the  Red  Cross  and  supplied 
by  it  with  food  and  other  comforts,  and  the 
news  of  home  that  made  their  captivity  bear- 
able. 

The  sick  and  wounded  were  cheered  and 
helped  in  their  convalescence,  the  home-coming 
and  demobilizing  troops  were  helped  in  re- 
adjusting themselves  to  civil  life,  and  finally 
the  graves  of  the  fallen  were  located  and  pho- 
tographed for  the  comfort  of  their  people  at 
home. 


The  work  of  preparing  the  American  Red 
Cross  for  its  diversified  tasks  began  long  be- 
fore the  historic  April  day  when  America's 
might  was  thrown  into  the  balance  against 
the  Hun.  Two  years  before  the  United  States 
entered  the  war  the  Department  of  Military 
Relief  of  the  Red  Cross,  recognizing  that 
hospital  units  must  be  organized  and  prepared 
in  advance  of  war  if  the  Army  Medical  Serv- 
ice was  to  be  able  to  meet  the  shock  of  such 
an  emergency,  began  to  recruit  and  organize 
at  important  hospitals  and  medical  schools 
groups  of  doctors  and  nurses  who  could  be 
called  into  service  at  any  time  by  the  Army 
Medical  Corps.  The  work  of  selecting  and 
equipping  these  units  was  pushed  so  energeti- 
cally that  when  the  state  of  war  was  declared 
six  complete  units  were  ready  for  service. 

FIFTY  HOSPITALS  TO  THE  RESCUE 

This  early  preparation  enabled  the  Red 
Cross  to  respond  immediately  to  the  call  of 
the  Army,  which  came  within  two  weeks 
after  the  United  States  went  to  war.  The 
six  units  were  mobilized  without  delay,  and 
within  seven  weeks  of  the  declaration  of  war 
one  of  them  had  reached  England  on  its  way 
to  France.  Red  Cross  doctors  and  nurses 
who  had  been  mustered  into  the  Army  Medi- 
cal Corps  were  thus  the  first  detachment  of 
the  American  Army  to  reach  the  war  zone 
for  active  service. 

With  the  United  States  actually  in  the  con- 
flict, the  medical  activities  of  the  American 
Red  Cross  expanded  with  the  greatest  rapid- 
ity. By  the  end  of  June,  iQiy,  organization 
of  the  Red  Cross  Base  Hospital  Units,  au- 
thorized by  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  Army, 
was  being  completed.  Fifty  of  these  were 
turned  over  to  the  medical  department  of  the 
Army  and  sent  to  England  and  France,  and 
one  to  Italy,  for  duty  with  the  American  Ex- 


30 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


peditionary  Forces.  These  base  hospitals,  or- 
ganized from  the  staffs  of  the  best  hospitals 
in  the  country,  performed  the  most  valuable 
service  wherever  they  were  sent.  A  typical 
unit  contained  twenty-two  surgeons  and  phy- 
sicians, two  dentists,  sixty-five  Red  Cross 
nurses,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  men 
of  the  Enlisted  Reserves  Corps. 

The    Red   Cross   Base   Hospitals  were   organized   at   the 
following    Institutions: 

No.      I.      Bellevue   Hospital,   New  York  City. 

No.      2.      Presbyterian     Hospital,     New     York     City. 

No.     3.     Mt.   Sinai   Hospital,   New  York   Citv. 


No.  25.  Cincinnati  General  Hospital,   Cincinnati,   Ohio. 

No.  26.  State  University  of  Minnesota,  Minneapolis, 
Minn. 

No.  27.  University  of  Pittsburgh  Medical  School,  Pitts- 
burgh,   Pa. 

No.   28.  Christian    Church    Hospital,    Kansas   City,    Mo. 

No.   29.  Medical  School,   University  of  Colorado,   Denver. 

No.   30.  University    of    California,    San    Francisco. 

No.   31.  Youngstown   Hospital,   Youngstown,   Ohio. 

No.   32.  City   Hospital,    Indianapolis,    Ind. 

No.   33.  Albany   Hospital,   Albany,   N.   Y. 

No.   34.  Episcopal    Hospital,    Philadelphia,    Pa. 

No.   35.  Good    Samaritan    Hospital,    Los  Angeles,    Cal. 

No.   36.  College    of    Medicine,    Detroit,    Mich. 

No.  37.  Kings   County    Hospital,    Brooklyn,    N.   Y. 

No.   38.  Jefferson    Medical    School,    Philadelphia,    Pa. 

No.   39.  None. 

No.  40.  Good    Samaritan    Hospital,    Lexington,    Ky. 

No.  41.  University   of   Virginia,    Va. 

No.  42.  University  of  Maryland  Medical  School,  Bal- 
timore,  Md. 


■^m"-^-      ^ 


^■^:^, 


©     Undcriijood  and    Underwood. 


No. 

4- 

No. 

5. 

No. 

6. 

No. 

7. 

No. 

8. 

No. 

Q. 

No. 

10. 

No. 

1 1. 

No. 

12. 

No. 

13- 

No. 

14. 

No. 

IS. 

No. 

16. 

No. 

17. 

No. 

18. 

No. 

10. 

No. 

20. 

No. 

21. 

No. 

22. 

No. 

2^. 

No. 

24. 

American  Women's  Hospital,  Ordvvay  House,  London 

This  hospital  was  visited  by  Queen  Mary  during  the  war. 


Lakeside    Hospital,    Cleveland,    Ohio. 

Harvard    University,    Cambridge,    Mass. 

Massachusetts   General    Hospital.    Boston,    Mass. 

Boston   City   Hospital,   Boston,    Mass. 

New  York  Post  Graduate  Hospital,  New  York 
City. 

New  York  Hospital,  New  York  City. 

Pennsylvania    Hospital,    Philadelphia,    Pa. 

St.  Joseph,  St.  Mary  and  Augustana  Hospital, 
Chicago,   111. 

Northwestern  University  Medical  School,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Presbyterian    Hospital,    Chicago,    111. 

St.   Luke  and   Michael   Reese  Hospital,  Chicago. 

111. 

Roosevelt   Hospital,   New  York   City. 

German    Hospital,    New   York  City. 

Harper    Hospital,    Detroit,    Mich. 

Johns    Hopkins    Hospital,    Baltimore,    Md. 

Kochester    General     Hospital,     Rochester,    N.    Y. 

University  of  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  Philadel- 
phia,   Pa. 

Washington  University  Medical  School,  St. 
Louis,   Mo. 

Milwaukee   County  Hospital,   Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Buffalo  General  Hospital,   Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Tulane  University,  New  Orleans,  La. 


No.  43.  Emory   University,    Atlanta,    Ga. 

No.  44.  Massachusetts     Homeopathic     Hospital,     Boston, 

.Mass. 

No.   45.  Medical    College   of   Virginia,    Richmond,   Va. 

No.   46.  University   of   Oregon,    Portland,    Ore. 

No.   47.  San    Francisco   Hospital,    San    Francisco,   Cal. 

No.  48.  Metropolitan    Hospital.    New   York  City. 

No.  49.  State   University,    Omaha,    Neb.    . 

No.   50.  University   of   Washington,    Seattle,    Wash. 

No.  102.  Loyola   University,    New   Orleans,    La. 


AMBULANCE  COMPANIES 

There  was  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  an 
extreme  shortage  of  ambulance  companies  in 
the  Army,  and  the  Red  Cross  undertook  the 
task  of  helping  overcome  this  situation. 
Forty-five  ambulance  companies  were  formed 
by  the  organization  and  transferred  to  the 
Army,  and  were  then  assigned  to  the  sani- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


31 


tary  trains  of  the  various  Divisions  of  the 
A.  E.  F.  after  training  at  camps  and  canton- 
ments in  this  country.  The  ambulance  units 
each  consisted  of  124  men;  and  they  were 
formed  at  the  following  institutions  or  places: 


Pasadena,    Cal. 

University   of   California. 

University  of  Chicago. 

Cleveland,    O. 

Washington,    D.    C. 

Fordham   University,    Fordham,   N.    Y. 

University  of   New   York,   N.   Y. 

Detroit,    Mich. 

Northwestern    University,    Chicago. 

Columbia    University,    New    York    City. 

Battle   Creek,    Mich. 

University   of    Washington,    Seattle. 

Pjttsfield,    Mass. 


No. 

I. 

No. 

2. 

No. 

.3. 

No. 

4- 

No. 

s. 

No. 

6. 

No. 

7- 

No. 

8. 

No. 

Q- 

No. 

10. 

No. 

1 1. 

No. 

12. 

No. 

13. 

No.  43.  Raleigh,   N.   C. 

No.  44.  Topeka,    Kan. 

No.  45.  Memphis,    Mich. 

No.  46.  Richmond,    Va. 

From  the  moment  the  great  training  centers 
sprang  into  existence  throughout  the  country, 
the  Red  Cross  was  on  the  ground  ready  to 
meet  demands  for  supplementary  assistance  and 
equipment  made  upon  it  by  the  Army  medical 
authorities.  At  each  camp  there  was  main- 
tained a  Red  Cross  convalescent  house  for  sol- 
diers mending  from  illness,  and  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  relatives  summoned  by  the 
serious  condition  of  their  sons. 


American  Ambulance  Drivers  and  Their  American  Ambulances 


No. 

14. 

University    of    Oregon,    Eug 

ene,   Ore 

No. 

15. 

Grand    Rapids,    Mich. 

No. 

16. 

Fredonia,    Kan. 

No. 

17. 

Boston,    Mass. 

No. 

18. 

Indianapolis,    Ind. 

No. 

19- 

Portland,    Ore. 

No. 

20. 

Atlanta,    Ga. 

No. 

21. 

Flint,    Mich. 

No. 

22. 

Charleston,    W.    Va. 

No. 

23- 

Portland,    Me. 

No. 

24. 

Kansas    City,    Mo. 

No. 

25- 

None. 

No. 

26. 

Columbia,    S.    C. 

No. 

27. 

Salt    Lake    City,    Utah. 

No. 

28. 

Detroit,    Mich. 

No. 

29. 

Atlanta,    Ga. 

No. 

30- 

Denver,    Colo. 

No. 

31- 

Greensboro,    N.    C. 

No. 

32. 

Greenville,    S.     C. 

No. 

33- 

Summit,    N.    J. 

No. 

34- 

Hudson    County,    N.   J. 

No. 

35- 

Buffalo,    N.    Y. 

No. 

36. 

Houston,    Tex. 

No. 

37. 

Minneapolis,    Minn. 

No. 

38. 

San    Antonio,    Tex. 

No. 

39- 

Vicksburg,    Miss. 

No. 

40. 

Fort    Worth,    Tex. 

No. 

41. 

Lock   Haven,   Pa. 

No. 

42. 

Michigan, 

MEASURES   AGAINST    EPIDEMICS 

One  of  the  finest  examples  of  the  prepared- 
ness of  the  Red  Cross  to  meet  great  emer- 
gencies came  during  the  terrible  influenza 
epidemic  of  igi8,  when  the  saving  of  hundreds 
of  lives  was  attributed  to  the  many  forms  of 
service,  ranging  from  emergency  nursing  to 
the  quick  delivery  of  medical  supplies,  ren- 
dered by  the  organization.  Again,  in  the  win- 
ter of  1917,  when  thousands  of  soldiers  were 
without  sufficient  heavy  clothing  and  bedding, 
the  Red  Cross  stepped  into  the  breach  with 
abundant  supplies. 

A  Red  Cross  activity  that  had  a  direct  bear- 
ing on  keeping  sickness  and  death  among  the 


32 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


soldiers  and  sailors  at  a  minimum  was  the 
Sanitary  Service  established  to  extend  to  fed- 
eral, state,  and  local  authorities  aid  in  se- 
curing effective  sanitary  control  in  civil  dis- 
tricts adjacent  to  Army  cantonments  and  naval 
bases.  The  throwing  of  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  men  into  camp  and  the  gathering  near 
these  camps  of  hundreds  of  thousands  more  of 
their   relatives   and    friends   and   others,    pro- 


Camp  Wheeler,  Ga.,  through  the  diversion  of 
a  stream  feeding  a  large  swamp  adjacent  to 
the  camp.  The  federal  authorities  were  help- 
less through  legal  restrictions,  but  the  Red 
Cross  War  Council  quickly  provided  the  funds 
and  other  means  of  doing  the  work. 

Supplementing  the  work  of  the  Sanitary 
Service  were  four  Red  Cross  railway  labora- 
tory cars,  fully  equipped  and  carrying  scien- 


Volunteer  Motor  Service 

Women  and  machines  were  ready  for  all  emergencies. 


duced  conditions  highly  potential  of  epidemics 
and  death. 

Sanitary  Service  was  operated  through 
thirty-seven  units  of  trained  personnel  as- 
signed to  districts  in  twenty  states  and  di- 
rected by  officers  of  the  U.  S.  Public  Health 
Service.  Their  work  included  the  supervision 
of  public  and  private  water  supply ;  disposal  of 
sewage  and  garbage  to  control  fly-breeding; 
inspection  of  food  supplies;  control  of  com- 
municable diseases;  public  health;  nursing; 
school  medical  inspection ;  and  control  through 
education  and  other  means  of  social  diseases. 

An  instance  of  the  efficacy  and  value  of  the 
work  of  the  Sanitary  units  was  the  prevention 
of   an   epidemic  of   malaria,    that    threatened 


tific  personnel,  that  were  always  ready  for  a 
quick  run  to  any  Army  camp  or  naval  base 
threatened  with  epidemic. 

Of  inestim.able  value  in  the  Red  Cross  ef- 
forts for  the  health  of  the  fighters  was  the 
Women's  Volunteer  Motor  Corps,  organized 
by  it  in  300  communities,  and  having  a  mem- 
bership of  12,000  women  who  contributed  not 
only  their  own  machines  but  their  own  services. 
Particularly  in  the  influenza  epidemic  which, 
in  the  midst  of  the  affliction  of  war,  relent- 
lessly raged  throughout  the  entire  country  ex- 
acting so  terrible  a  toll  irrespective  of  person 
or  rank ;  and  later  in  transporting  the  re- 
turned sick  and  wounded,  did  these  patriotic 
women  distinguish   themselves. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


33 


SISTERS  OF  MERCY 

But  the  crowning  achievement  of  the  Red 
Cross  in  the  medical  field  was  its  mobilization 
of  23,822  nurses,  nearly  20,000  of  whom 
saw  active  service.  As  the  reserve  of  the 
Army  and  Navy  Nurse  Corps,  the  Red  Cross 
Nursing  Service  at  the  time  the  United  States 
entered  the  war  had  about  10,000  nurses  en- 
rolled ;  and  from  that  time  until  the  armistice 
was  signed  it  bent  every  effort  not  only  toward 
obtaining  the  additional  thousands  needed, 
but  to  keeping  the  standard  of  requirements 
at  the  highest  point. 

Of  the  nursing  strength  marshaled  by  the 
Red  Cross,  17,986  were  turned  over  to  the 
Army  Nurse  Corps,  1,058  to  the  Navy,  284 
to  the  U.  S.  Public  Health  Service,  while  603 
were  assigned  to  service  in  the  Red  Cross  ac- 
tivities abroad.  Of  the  total,  approximately 
10,500  saw  overseas  service.  At  the  end  of 
the  war  there  were  261  gold  stars  on  the  serv- 
ice flag  of  the  Department  of  Nursing,  repre- 
senting the  number  of  nurses  who  gave  their 
lives  in  the  line  of  duty,  43  of  them  abroad. 

RED  CROSS  CANTEENS 

General  efiforts  by  the  American  Red  Cross 
for  the  welfare  of  the  soldier  began  almost 
from  the  time  he  left  home  for  the  training 


camp.  At  railway  centers,  along  all  the  routes 
leading  to  the  cantonments.  Red  Cross  can- 
teens were  established  for  the  comfort  of  the 
traveling  soldiers.  It  was  natural  that  in 
heavy  movements  of  troops  there  would  be  un- 
avoidable accidents  and  delays,  sudden  illness 
and  many  other  inconveniences  and  discom- 
forts against  which  the  authorities  could  do 
nothing. 

The  Red  Cross  Canteen  Service,  established 
to  meet  this  situation,  worked  in  closest  har- 
mony with  the  government,  especially  in  the 
maintenance  of  secrecy  in  troop  movements. 
At  the  more  important  stations  canteen  huts, 
hospital  transfer  rooms,  information  booths, 
reading  rooms,  telephone  booths,  shower  baths, 
swimming  facilities,  lunch  rooms  and  other 
conveniences  were  provided,  and  at  smaller 
points  Red  Cross  women  with  sandwiches, 
hot  drinks  and  tobacco  and  other  services  were 
always  on  hand  when  troop  trains  passed 
through. 

The  importance  of  this  work  was  so  great, 
and  it  met  the  needs  of  the  situation  so  suc- 
cessfully, that  before  hostilities  ceased  more 
than  700  canteens  were  in  operation,  requiring 
the  services  of  55,000  women  canteen  work- 
ers, all  full  time  volunteers.  In  twenty 
months  refreshments  were  ser\'ed  40,000,000 
times,  which  would  serve  each  U.  S.  soldier, 
sailor  and  marine  eight  times. 


Battered  War-Worn  "Cocoa  Cannons" 

These  Red  Cross  rolling  kitchens  served  cocoa  to  the  men  of  the  27th  Division  during  their  opera- 
tions in  France. 


34 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


COMFORTS    FOR    OUR    TROOPS 

Arriving  at  the  camps  the  soldiers  found 
the  Red  Cross  prepared  to  perform  a  wide 
variety  of  services  for  them.  Almost  from 
the  moment  the  United  States  went  to  war 
Red  Cross  chapter  members  in  every  part  of 
the  country  had  been  knitting  sweaters,  wrist- 
lets, mufflers,  helmets  and  socks  and  filling 
comfort  kits  which  were  issued  to  the  soldiers 
by  the  Red  Cross  to  supplement  their  Army 
equipment.  In  addition  to  these  there  were 
distributed  great  quantities  of  writing  paper, 
tooth-brushes,  razors,  pajamas,  sheets,  pillow- 
cases, blankets,  property  bags,  bandages,  and 
other  hospital  supplies  and  medicines.  At 
Christmas,  191 7,  the  chapters  provided  850,- 
000  Christmas  packages  for  the  soldiers  train- 
ing here  or  overseas  at  the  front. 

From  the  outset  there  was  such  an  intense 
desire  on  the  part  of  the  millions  of  women 
members  of  the  Red  Cross  chapters  to  make 
useful  relief  supplies,  and  so  ready  a  response 
was  made  to  every  call  upon  the  chapters, 
that  the  principal  effort  at  national  head- 
quarters was  in  guiding  and  systematizing  the 


work.  Patterns,  specifications  and  directions 
for  surgical  dressings,  hospital  garments  and 
supplies,  refugee  clothing,  knitted  articles  and 
comforts  for  soldiers  and  sailors,  were  pre- 
pared after  careful  study  and  consultation 
with  experts  in  the  various  lines.  In  the 
standard  instructions  issued  it  was  the  purpose 
to  bring  about  simplicity  of  design,  reasonable 
uniformity  of  product  and  as  economical  use 
of  raw  material  as  possible. 

An  equally  important  subject  to  which  at- 
tention was  given  was  the  allotment  of  certain 
tasks  to  the  various  divisions,  and  in  turn  to 
the  chapters,  so  that  the  filling  of  requisi- 
tions for  relief  supplies  from  the  foreign  com- 
missions and  for  relief  purposes  in  this  coun- 
try might  proceed  on  a  definite  basis.  Chap- 
ters gladly  responded  to  this  idea,  because  of 
the  assurance  it  gave  them  that  they  were 
always  working  on  something  for  which  a 
definite  need  existed. 

8,000,000  WOMEN   WORK   FOR  THE  RED  CROSS 

More  than  8,000,000  Red  Cross  women 
were  engaged  in  the  task  of  producing  com- 


The  Little  Brown  House  In  New  York  City 

Here  the  soldier's  clothes  were  mended  and  a  great  deal   of  knitting  was  done  for  his  comfort. 

VII— 3 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY                                              35 

forts  for  the  soldiers  and  relief  supplies  for  Red   Cross   undertook,   through    10,000  espe- 

abroad,  the  work  extending  into  every  village,  cially   trained    Home    Service   committees,   to 

town  and  cross-roads  in  the  land.     The  stu-  help  soldiers'  families  who  were  in  financial 

pendous   total   of   their   production   was   over  straits,  beset  by  legal  or  other  family  troubles, 

350,000,000   articles,   valued   at  $93,000,000.  or  allotment  and  allowance  tangles,  and  some- 

Of  this  amount  over  $28,000,000  worth  was  times  just  depressing  loneliness.     The  Home 

distributed  in  the  camps  of  this  country  alone.  Service  workers,  who  never  intruded,  but  who 

In  the  camps  the  Red  Cross,  at  the  request  were  at  instant  service  when  called  by  soldier 

of  the  military  authorities,  supplemented  the  or  family,  constantly  spread  the  doctrine  and 

regular  hospital  service  by  extra  attentions  to  practice    of    intelligent,    substantial    neighbor- 

the  sick  and  wounded,  including  daily  visits  liness,   with   the   result   that  more  than   500- 

by  trained  workers  to  cheer  the  patients  and  000  families  were  helped  in  innumerable  ways, 

extend  whatever  assistance  did  not  fall  with-  while  a  corresponding  number  of  soldiers  and 

in    the   province   of   the   doctors    and    nurses.  sailors  were  able  to  devote  their  whole  thought 

When  it  was  found  that  convalescing  soldiers  to  the  work  before  them. 

had  no  place  to  while  away  their  time  save  in  As  the  war  went  on  and  the  troops  streamed 
the  wards  and  corridors  of  the  hospitals,  the  across  the  Atlantic  to  grapple  with  the  Ger- 
Red  Cross  built  ninety-two  convalescent  man  hordes,  the  field  of  Home  Service  became 
houses  in  the  training  and  embarkation  camps.  more  and  more  important.  Through  it  fami- 
These  buildings,  while  intended  primarily  for  lies  who  had  not  heard  from  their  boys  for 
the  use  of  the  convalescents,  were  also  avail-  long  periods  were  able  to  locate  them.  And 
able  for  such  other  services  as  the  officer  in  when  the  Germans  began  taking  American 
command  of  the  hospital  designated.  They  prisoners,  these  were  located  through  the  In- 
provided  writing  and  reading  facilities,  games  ternational  Red  Cross  at  Geneva  and  infor- 
and  entertainments.  They  also  contained  mation  concerning  them  transmitted  to  the 
rooms  for  the  relatives  of  men  dangerously  families  by  the  Home  Service.  Long  after 
stricken,  and  for  the  nurses,  there  were  pro-  hostilities  were  at  an  end  the  important  work 
vided  in  the  camps  sixty-one  recreation  houses  of  this  branch  of  the  Red  Cross  went  on. 
and  clubs.  Their   period    of   training   over,   America's 

soldier    boys    moved    toward    the    seaboard, 

THE  RED  CROSS  AND  THE  MORALE  OF  THE  ^^•''1^  embarked  upon  their  great  adventure. 

At  every  step  of  the  journey  they  found  the 
Red  Cross  ready  to  serve  them.    The  canteens 

Red  Cross  Home  Service,  with  which  the  with  which  they  became  familiar  on  the  way 
soldiers  first  became  acquainted  in  the  camps,  to  camp  had  grown  in  number  and  diversity 
was  an  activity  that  before  the  end  of  the  of  service  along  the  great  trunk  routes  to  the 
hostilities  was  destined  to  prove  of  the  greatest  embarkation  ports,  where  there  w^ere  also  Red 
comfort  and  material  assistance  to  hundreds  Cross  workers  ready  and  eager  to  help  the 
of  thousands  of  fighting  men  and  their  fami-  men  about  to  go  aboard  the  transports,  to  pro- 
lies.  Early  in  the  war  it  was  recognized  that  vide  food,  tobacco  and  other  comforts  and  to 
the  morale  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors  could  take  good-bye  messages  to  the  home  folks. 
be  maintained  at  a  satisfactory  point  only  if 

the  fighting  men  were  relieved  of  worry  about  ^j^j^  ^^^  troops  abroad 
home.      Similarly,    it  was   necessary   that   the 

families,   whose   sons,   husbands   and   brothers  Arriving  in   France  or  England,   the  men 

had  been  called  to  military  duty,  should  not  found  the  Red  Cross  aw-aiting  them,  steering 

suffer  unnecessary  hardship.  them    safely    amid    their    unaccustomed    sur- 

Accordingly  the  Red  Cross  Home  Service  roundings.     For  months  Red   Cross  workers 

became   the   medium    through   which   soldiers  had    been    crossing    the    ocean    ahead    of    the 

could   receive  direct  reports  of  conditions  at  troops,  serving  the  troops  of  the  Allies,  and 

home,  and  families  could  be  kept  informed  on  preparing  for  the  millions  of  American  sol- 

the  welfare   of   their  sons.      But   the    Home  diers  that  were  on  the  way.     The  result  was 

Service  went  much  further  than  this,  for  the  that  canteens  and  hospitals,  clubs  and  hotels, 


ARMY 


THE  ARMIES  OF  IMERCY 


37 


were   ready   for   the  Americans   the   moment 
they  were  needed. 

All  of  this  was  in  accordance  with  the  sug- 
gestions of  General  Pershing,  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  A,  E.  F.  Immediately  upon  its 
arrival  in  France  in  June,  1917,  the  American 
Red  Cross  Commission  conferred  with  Gen- 
eral Pershing.  It  was  his  belief  and  desire 
that  the  Americai^  Red  Cross  should  be  the 
agency  through  which  the  American  people 
could,  by  relieving  the  suffering  of  our  Allies, 
express  its  sentiment.  He  felt  that  it  would 
be  many  months  before  his  Army  could  be  an 
effective  fighting  force,  and  that  the  Red 
Cross  must,  during  those  months,  carry  the 
American  flag  in  Europe. 

A  cash  expenditure  of  over  $57,000,000  by 
the  American  Red  Cross  in  France  included 
appropriations  for  canteens  and  the  rest  sta- 
tions, care  of  refugees  and  children,  medical, 
surgical,  nursing  and  hospital  supply  service, 
tuberculosis  relief,  surgical  dressing  stations, 
aid  to  disabled  soldiers,  French  soldiers'  fam- 
ilies and  French  Red  Cross,  transport  service 
and  general  services  for  the  A.  E.  F. 

At  the  beginning  of  191 8,  American  troops 
then  arriving  in  large  numbers,  the  balance 
of  American  Red  Cross  work  in  France  swung 
from  the  French  soldiers  to  the  Americans. 
As  had  formerly  been  done  for  the  French, 
canteens  and  rest  stations  were  built  in  in- 
creasing numbers  along  the  American  Army's 
line  of  communications,  where  soldiers  travel- 
ing to  and  from  the  front  could  be  fed  and 
where,  if  they  had  several  hours  to  wait,  they 
could  rest,  write  letters,  play  games,  read 
and  find  other  recreation.  In  connection  with 
these  rest  stations  the  Red  Cross  also  estab- 
lished dormitories,  shower  baths,  infirmaries, 
and,  at  certain  points,  hotels,  where  enlisted 
men  could  sleep  free  of  charge  and  officers 
obtain  rooms  for  a  small  sum. 

Field  service  on  a  large  scale  was  quickly 
organized  when  the  Americans  got  into  the 
fighting,  mobile  canteens  for  the  dispensing 
of  hot  and  cold  drinks  and  tobacco  to  the 
men  in  the  trenches  proceeding  wherever 
Americans  were  stationed.  There  was  also 
built  up  a  system  to  supply  soldiers  with 
socks,  underclothing,  and  other  necessities  in 
emergencies,  when  their  regular  supplies  did 
not  come  up.  Division  representatives  were 
attached  to  each  divisional  unit  of  the  Army 


to  move  with  it  wherever  it  was  sent  and  pro- 
vide whatever  comforts  were  needed  by  the 
men  within  the  wide  province  of  the  Red 
Cross. 

HOSPITAL   WORK    IN    FRANCE 

The  hospital  work  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  in  France  covered  a  field  commensurate 
with  the  gigantic  character  of  the  military 
task  confronting  the  Army,  the  activities  rang- 
ing from  rushing  ether  from  Paris  to  the  field 
operating  room  in  attack  emergencies,  to  pro- 
viding a  1,000-bed  hospital  in  thirty  days. 
In  all  24  Red  Cross  hospitals  were  operated 
in  France  to  assist  the  medical  service  of  the 
U.  S.  A. 

One  of  the  first  substantial  and  enduring 
accomplishments  was  the  acquisition  of  the 
hospital  at  Neuilly,  France,  where  the  600 
beds  were  increased  to  1,500  by  the  American 
Red  Cross  when  that  institution  became 
American  Red  Cross  Military  Hospital  No.  i. 
Five  other  military  hospitals,  installed  by  the 
Red  Cross,  but  directed  by  the  Army,  were 
also  established.  Ten  American  Red  Cross 
Hospitals,  in  which  the  Army  supplied  part 
of  the  doctors  and  orderlies,  were  established 
by  the  organization,  which  also  created  six 
convalescent  hospitals.  The  Red  Cross  fur- 
ther provided  dispensaries  at  various  ports, 
rest  stations  in  the  field,  diet  kitchens  and  con- 
valescent and  rest  hospitals  for  officers,  sol- 
diers, nurses  and  attaches  of  A.  E.  F.  auxil- 
iaries. When  the  number  of  sick  and  wounded 
men  grew,  donated  chateaux  and  rented  sea- 
side hotels  were  operated  by  the  Red  Cross 
for  those  soldiers   whose   recovery   was  slow. 

As  the  Americans  went  to  the  fighting  front 
the  Red  Cross  workers  went  with  them,  brav- 
ing death  from  the  German  guns  and  air- 
plane bombs  that  they  might  carry  out  their 
ministrations  to  the  fighting  men.  For  ex- 
ceptional bravery  a  number  of  Red  Cross 
workers  received  decorations  from  admiring 
governments,  these  including  several  nurses 
recruited  through  the  Red  Cross,  and  wounded 
while  caring  for  the  wounded  in  hospitals 
bombed  by  Hun  airmen. 

WITH    PRISONERS    IN    GERMANY 

The  whole  world  was  shocked  by  the  mis- 
,erable    treatment    accorded    Allied    prisoners 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


39 


©     Undenc'ood  and    Underwood. 

British  Soldiers  Released  From  German  Prisons 

These  troops,  suffering  from  disease  and  malnutrition,  were  released  from  a  German  prison  camp 

under  the  terms  of  the  armistice. 


of  war  in  German  prison  camps,  and  as  soon 
as  Americans  were  captured,  steps  were  taken 
by  the  American  Red  Cross  to  relieve  their 
condition.  Through  the  International  Com- 
mittee of  the  Red  Cross  at  Geneva  the  or- 
ganization succeeded  in  locating  these  men, 
and  individual  boxes  with  food,  chocolate,  to- 
bacco, and  other  comforts  were  despatched  to 
them  regularly,  while  other  steps  were  taken 
to  insure  their  decent  treatment.  When  these 
prisoners  emerged  from  Germany  at  the  end 
of  hostilities  they  agreed  that  but  for  this 
service  they  would  have  perished.  The  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  made  it  possible  to  maintain 
communication  between  the  prisoners  and  their 
homes. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  conflict,  with  more 
than  2,000,000  American  soldiers  in  France, 
many  of  them  helpless  in  hospitals,  the  num- 
ber of  those  out  of  touch  with  home  for  vari- 
ous reasons  greatly  increased,  and  here  the 
Red  Cross  Home  Service  reached  its  highest 
value.  Expert  searchers  were  assigned  to  lo- 
cate missing  men  and  report  their  condi- 
tion for  the  benefit  of  their  families,  thus  re- 
lieving many  aching  hearts  at  home.  At  the 
same  time  they  were  able  to  bring  messages 
of   love   and   cheer  to   the   wounded.      These 


workers  faithfully  and  carefully  reported  for 
their  families  the  last  moments  of  those  who 
passed  on. 

ON  FURLOUGH 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  armistice  large 
groups  of  soldiers  were  given  furloughs  that 
took  them  into  different  parts  of  France. 
There  also  they  found  the  American  Red 
Cross  ready  to  serve  them.  In  Paris  it  oper- 
ated hotels  and  clubs  for  officers  and  enlisted 
men,  providing  sleeping  quarters  and  meals  at 
nominal  rates,  and  on  the  Riviera  and  at  other 
resorts  provision  was  made  by  the  Red  Cross 
for  the  entertainment  of  the  soldier  visitors. 

In  the  meantime  many  thousands  of  Ameri- 
can soldiers  and  sailors  had  passed  through 
or  were  stationed  in  England,  and  there  again 
they  found  the  Red  Cross  serving  them  in 
many  ways.  Numerous  hospitals  were  estab- 
lished or  assisted  by  the  American  organiza- 
tion, which  also  supplied  canteens  and  clubs. 
Hundreds  of  American  women,  resident  in 
England,  enrolled  for  service  of  various  sorts 
under  the  American  Red  Cross  banner. 

The  organization  was  able  to  be  of  signal 
assistance  when  the  transport  Tuscania,  car- 
rying thousands  of  American  troops,  was  sunk 


40 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


off  the  north  of  Ireland  in  February,  191 8. 
American  Red  Cross  agents  went  to  the  scene 
with  the  utmost  speed  and,  after  providing 
emergency  relief  for  the  survivors,  arranged 
for  their  transportation  to  a  rest  camp  where 
they  recuperated  from  their  experience.  Sim- 
ilar relief  was  provided  when  the  Moldavia, 
also  carrying  American  troops,  and  other  ships 
were  sunk. 

AMERICAN   MERCY  IN    ENGLAND 

Primarily  the  duty  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  in  Great  Britain  was  to  the  sick  and 
wounded,  but  there  was  another  phase  of  its 
activities  which  w^as  equal  in  magnitude,  if 
second  in  importance,  to  its  hospital  ministra- 
tion. This  was  the  camp  and  canteen  service. 
In  this  the  Red  Cross  Commission  constituted 
itself  a  universal  provider,  able  and  ready 
at  the  shortest  notice  to  supply  anything  from 
a  safety  razor  blade  to  a  fully  equipped  print- 
ing press,  besides  undertaking  the  tremendous 
task  of  contributing  to  the  comfort  and  social 
welfare  of  a  million  troops  on  their  way  across 
England,  and  the  men  of  the  various  branches 
of  military  and  naval  service  stationed  tem- 
porarily or  permanently  in  the  British   Isles. 

The    provision    of    restaurant    facilities    in 


London  and  of  canteen  accommodations  for 
men  on  leave  were  considerable  undertakings. 
On  one  occasion,  when  faced  with  the  task 
of  arranging  at  short  notice  for  "canteening" 
men  on  leave,  workers  hurriedly  inspected  suit- 
able houses  and  selected,  in  the  words  of  the 
official  Red  Cross  records,  "the  shabbiest 
house  in  London,"  at  Golden  Square.  This 
house  had  not  been  occupied  for  eight  years, 
and  there  were  only  two  days  to  put  it  into 
shape  for  the  first  party  of  men.  A  staff 
of  cleaners  and  painters,  assisted  by  the 
Red  Cross  "Flying  Squadron,"  worked  day 
and  night,  together  with  plumbers,  gas-men, 
electricians,  carpenters,  plasterers  and  furnish- 
ers. Food  supplies,  chairs,  sofas,  tables,  rugs 
and  china  were  hurried  from  the  Red  Cross 
warehouses;  at  the  appointed  time  everything 
was  ready,  including  chintz  curtains  and  a 
hospitable  display  of  American  and  Red  Cross 
flags. 

Red  Cross  work  at  the  various  training 
camps  and  debarkation  ports  grew  steadily  as 
the  war  progressed,  and  included  caring  for  the 
troops  who  were  building  the  great  day-and- 
night  bombing  camps  in  the  south  of  Eng- 
land, from  which  it  was  planned  to  carry  out 
huge  bombing  raids  on  Germany  should  the 
war  continue  into  1919. 


©     Utiderivood  and    L  iiJciit-'^oJ. 


Seeing  the  Sights 

American  soldiers  in  London.     Thev   were  convalescents  under  the  Red  Cross. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


41 


When  American  troops  were  sent  to  Vlad- 
ivostok and  Archangel,  to  assist  in  the  Allied 
operations  in  those  theaters  of  war,  the  Amer- 
ican Red  Cross  also  sent  missions  to  provide 
recreation  and  comfort  for  the  soldiers,  at 
the  same  time  carrying  the  lessons  of  democ- 
racy to  the  natives  by  general  relief  work 
among  the  destitute. 


THE  RED  CROSS  AND  THE  NAVY 


The  relations  of  the  Red  Cross  to  the  Navy 
paralleled  its  service  to  the  Army,  although, 
of  course,  on  a  much  smaller  scale.  For  the 
Navy  the  society  organized  eight  base  hospitals 
and  seventeen  naval  hospital  units,  one  of  the 
hospitals   being   established    in    England.      A 


Courlcs-:    Kl'J    C" 


Magasitie. 


Sick  Bay  Aboard  a  Battleship 

Notice  the  unused  cots  folded  asrainst  the  walls. 


WITH    OUR   RETURNING    SOLDIERS 

At  their  home-coming,  American  troops 
found  the  full  resources  of  the  Red  Cross 
still  at  their  service.  Its  workers  were  sta- 
tioned at  the  embarkation  ports  abroad,  and 
each  transport  arriving  in  the  United  States 
was  met  by  Red  Cross  representatives  eager  to 
extend  help  to  the  men.  In  the  demobiliza- 
tion camps  and  in  the  debarkation  and  recon- 
struction hospitals  the  organization  was  active 
for  months  after  the  end  of  hostilities,  helping 
the  convalescing  soldiers  back  to  strength  and 
hopefulness  and  a  place  in  civilian  life. 


hundred  motor  vehicles  were  among  the  items 
of  medical  equipment  supplied  to  the  Navy. 
Provision  was  also  made  for  sailors  on  shore 
leave,  and  at  naval  bases,  in  the  way  of  can- 
teens and  lodgings.  The  sailors  also  received 
knitted  garments  produced  by  the  chapter 
women  workers,  these  supplementary  protec- 
tions against  the  cold  proving  of  the  highest 
value,  particularly  to  the  men  of  the  destroyer 
fleet  in  their  frigid  patrol  of  the  North  Sea 
in  search  of  German  submarines. 

A  feature  of  Red  Cross  work  for  the  fight- 
ers everywhere  was  the  atmosphere  of  home 
that  surrounded  all  its  activities.    Thousands 


42 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


of  American  women  volunteered  for  canteen      once  available  for  the  American  troops  when 

and   other  work   overseas,   and   the   sight   of      they  arrived. 

them,  and  their  cheery  welcome,  heartened  the  From   the  very  beginning  of   its  work   in 

soldiers  wherever  they  found  them.  France  the  American  Red  Cross  extended  aid 

to  the  overtaxed  French  hospitals  in  many 
forms:  construction,  equipment  and  personnel. 


CANTEENS   FOR   ALLIED   TROOPS 

It  was  a  part  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
programme,  and  in  recognition  of  the  years 
of  hard  fighting  through  which  they  had 
passed,  that  the  soldiers  of  the  Allies  should 
benefit  by  its  activities.  This  was  accom- 
plished in  many  ways,  particularly  before  the 
growing  American  Army  in  France  required 
concentration  on  its  needs.  Immediately  after 
the  arrival  of  the  Red  Cross  Commission  in 
France,  the  French  military  authorities  were 
consulted  as  to  what  work  the  American  Red 
Cross  could  engage  in  for  the  benefit  of  Allied 
soldiers  pending  the  arrival  of  American  troops 
at  the  front.  It  developed  that  the  most 
pressing  need  was  canteen  service.  The  French 
had  done  much  in  this  direction,  but  the  drain 
of  war  was  preventing  the  work's  develop- 
ment. Allied  soldiers  traveling  to  and  from 
the  trenches  were  often  compelled  to  sleep 
in  cold  railroad  stations  in  their  vermin-in- 
fested and  drenched  clothing,  passing  hours 
without  food,  drink  or  other  comforts. 

The  Red  Cross  went  to  work  without  delay 
to  remedy  this  situation,  and  as  early  as  July, 
191 7,  in  cooperation  with  the  French  govern- 
ment, had  begun  the  establishment  of  canteens. 
These  were  divided  into  three  general  classes, 
the  line  of  communication,  serving  the  soldier 
in  transit;  the  metropolitan  district,  serving 
the  soldier  on  leave  in  Paris  and  on  the 
Grande  Ceinture  (Great  Belt)  railroad  run- 
ning around  the  capital ;  and  the  canteens  at 
the  front.  American  women  operated  these 
canteens  and  rest  stations,  which  were  made 
as  comfortable  and  cheery  as  circumstances 
permitted.  The  gratitude  of  the  soldiers  for 
the  meals,  hot  drinks,  tobacco,  chocolate,  baths, 
and  otlicr  comforts  provided,  was  boundless. 
Particularly  appreciated  were  the  rolling  can- 
teens operated  just  behind  the  fighting  lines, 
from  which  millions  of  rations,  hot  in  winter 
and  cold  in  Rummer,  were  served.  This 
whole  system,  enlarged  and  improved,  was  at 


THE   RED   CROSS    IN    ITALY 

The  American  Red  Cross  entered  Italy  at 
one  of  the  real  crises  of  the  war,  and  was  able 
to  perform  a  service  of  the  greatest  importance 
in  convincing  the  hard-pressed  soldiers  of  that 
country  that,  in  spite  of  what  German  pro- 
paganda insisted  to  the  contrary,  the  United 
States  would  be  a  mighty  factor  in  the  deter- 
mination of  the  conflict.  When  the  Germans 
began  forcing  the  Italians  back  to  the  Piave 
in  October,  191 7,  an  emergency  call  sent  to 
the  American  Red  Cross  in  Paris  brought  am- 
bulances and  trains  of  supplies  without  delay, 
and,  very  soon  after,  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
comfort  packages  bearing  the  stamp  of  the 
American  Red  Cross,  distributed  among  the 
Italian  troops,  proved  to  them  that  the  power 
of  America  was  already  being  exerted.  The 
Italian  soldiers  were  also  impressed  with 
the  prompt  appearance  of  American  Red 
Cross  ambulances  immediately  after  the 
United  States  went  to  war  with  Austria- 
Hungary.  Many  other  activities  for  the 
men  in  the  trenches  and  assistance  to  the 
military  hospitals  featured  Red  Cross  effort 
in  Italy. 

One  of  the  first  steps  taken  by  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  in  Belgium  was  to  assist  the 
Belgian  Red  Cross  in  the  operation  of  several 
military  hospitals,  providing  the  money  to  com- 
plete one  of  them.  Surgical  equipment  for 
the  field  was  also  supplied  and  canteens  capa- 
ble of  supplying  25,000  soldiers  daily  were 
established  by  it  just  behind  the  lines.  Wel- 
fare work  was  carried  on  among  the  Belgian 
soldiers  on  leave  who  were  unable  to  spend 
the  time  at  their  homes. 

Relief  of  various  kinds  was  also  provided 
for  the  Serbian  soldiers  and  Russia's  fighting 
men,  before  the  withdrawal  of  Russia  from  the 
war,  and  later  for  the  Czechoslovaks  in  their 
epic  campaign  through  Siberia. 


THE  AMERICAN  RED  CROSS  AS  A  NEUTRAL 


HOW    WE    HELPED   ALL   THE    BELLIGERENTS  ^^^^.  "?«"  '^'  "^'^'^^  ^^^^V'  ^^'^.^^  ^^  entered  the 

conflict,  asked  only  for  certain  supplies. 

IN  accordance  with  the    sacred  principles  of  Plans  to  secure  funds  and  make  read_v  the 

humanity    and   mercy    imposed    upon    the  personnel  were  at  once  laid.     Day  and  night 

organization   by  the   Treaty   of   Geneva   and  factories  worked  to  provide  absorbent  cotton, 

the    development    of    the    Red    Cross    spirit  bandages  and  anaesthetics.     The  attention  of 

through  the  years,  the  American  Red  Cross,  the  American  people  was  directed  to  the  con- 

at  the  very  outbreak  of  the  World  War  in  tributions  sent  by  European  Red  Cross  socie- 

1914,  set  itself  the  task  of  aiding  the  wounded  ties  to  us  during  the  Spanish-American  War, 

and  other  victims  of  the  fighting  without  re-  and  they  were  urged  to  help  in  the  payment 

gard  to  nationality.     From  that  moment  until  of  the  debt,  it  being  expressly  stipulated  that 

the  approach  of  the  day  when  America  was  donations  designated  for  the  aid  of  any  special 

to  join  the  Allies'  cause,   the  American   Red  country  would  be  used  for  that  countr}\  Presi- 

Cross  extended  its  service  impartially  to  both  dent  Wilson,  as  head  of  the  society,  added  his 

the  Teutonic  and  the  Entente  allies,  preserv-  appeal.     The  result  was  that  sufficient  funds 

ing  at  all  times  unswerving  neutrality.     Sur-  to  begin  the  desired  work  soon  became  avail- 

geons  and  nurses  were  sent  to  practically  all  able. 

the  warring  countries,  and  millions  of  relief  One  of  the  first  problems  confronting  the 

articles,  ranging  from  ambulances  to  bandages.  Red  Cross,  aside  from  collecting  supplies  and 

were   distributed   on   both   sides.      Several   of  preparing   personnel,   was   obtaining   shipping 

the  American   Red   Cross  workers   lost   their  space  for  its  supplies  in  the  chaos  in  the  ocean 

lives  in  service  abroad  while  the  United  States  world.    The  situation  was  met,  however,  when 

was  neutral,  and  a  large  number  of  them  re-  the  Hamburg-American  line  offered  one  of  its 

ceived  decorations  of  honor  from  the  govern-  liners,  the  Hamburg,  to  take  the  first  cargo  of 

ments  for  whose  soldiers  they  toiled  so  val-  relief  supplies,  doctors  and  nurses  to  bleeding 

iantly.  Europe.     A  special  act  of  Congress  placed  the 

THE  RED  CROSS  MOBILIZES  Vessel  Under  temporary  American  registry  and, 

her  name  changed  to  the  Red  Cross,  the  mercy 
Immediately  after  the   full   horror  of  the  ship  was  given  distinctive  coloring  to  protect 
conflict  that  had  broken  over  Europe  became  her  passage  through  the  war  zone, 
apparent,  a  joint  meeting  of  the  International 
and  War  Relief  Boards  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  was  held  at  Washington,  and  it  was  de- 
cided to  offer  to  every  country  involved  in  the  Heavily    freighted    with    hospital    supplies 


THE    FIRST    SHIP    OF    MERCY 


war  the  aid  of  its  trained  personnel,  and  the  that  had  been  piling  up  at  New  York,  and 

contribution  of  hospital  supplies.  In  strict  con-  with  the  first  units  of  surgeons  and  nurses  lin- 

formity  with  the  Treaty  of  Geneva,  this  offer  ing  the  rail,  the  Red  Cross  steamed  from  New 

was   made   with    the   consent   of   the    United  York,  September  12,   1914,  on  her  errand  of 

States  government  and  communicated  by  the  humanity.      The    vessel    discharged    supplies 

State  Department  to  the  governments  of  the  and    personnel    at    Falmouth,    England,    and 

belligerent  nations.     The  offer  was  accepted  Pauillac,  the  port  of  Bordeaux,  France,  and 

by  all,  with  the  exception  of  Belgium,  which  finished  the  trip  at  Rotterdam,  where  the  sup- 

at  that  time  desired  only  supplies  and  did  not  plies  and  workers  for  the  Teutonic  allies  were 

ask  for  personnel   until   the  spring  of    191 5.  unloaded.     When  the  Red  Cross  returned  to 

Japan   later   declined   assistance,   as  her  own  New   York   the  shipping  situation   had   been 

great  Red  Cross  was  able  to  meet  all  demands  somewhat  adjusted  to  the  conditions  of  war 


44 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Japanese  Trained  Nurses 


(i5     Underwood  and   Underwood. 


In   1915   a  joint  meeting  of  the  International   and    War    Relief    Boards    of   the    American    Red 
Cross  was  held  at  Washington  and  every  country  involved  in  the  war  was  offered  our  aid.     Japan 
declined  assistance,  as  her  own  great  Red  Cross  was  able  to  meet  all  demands  made  upon  it. 


and  it  was  possible  to  send  future  shipments 
and  personnel  by  the  regular  lines. 

Meantime  the  army  of  Red  Cross  workers 
throughout  the  country  had  been  mobilized  for 
the  work  of  making  refugee  garments  and  hos- 
pital supplies,  and  within  a  year  the  society 
shipped  to  Europe  nearly  two  million  band- 
ages, over  a  million  surgical  dressings,  miore 
than  a  million  yards  of  gauze,  nearly  a  mil- 
lion pounds  of  absorbent  cotton  and  half  a 
million  articles  of  clothing  for  the  wounded 
and  refugees.  Great  stores  of  surgical  in- 
struments, drugs  and  anaesthetics  also  went 
forward  regularly,  in  addition  to  which  a  large 
number  of  ambulances,   donated   to  the   Red 


Cross,  and  four  field  hospitals,  fully  equipped, 
were  forwarded  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

The  total  number  of  nurses  sent  to  Europe 
by  the  American  Red  Cross  during  the  period 
of  the  war  in  which  the  United  States  re- 
mained neutral  was  255.  They  were  assigned 
as  follows:  France,  33;  Russia,  25;  England, 
26;  Austria,  26;  Germanj^,  25;  Serbia,  26; 
Belgium,  24.  All  were  enlisted  for  six 
months'  service,  and  many  remained  on  duty 
longer;  but  in  addition  to  the  original  units, 
seventy  more  nurses  were  sent  to  take  the 
places  of  those  who  returned  to  this  country 
after  completing  their  term  of  service. 

Some  difficulty  was  experienced  in  obtain- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


45 


ing  physicians  and  surgeons  fitted  for  war 
service,  army  doctors  not  being  permitted  to 
go  because  of  the  country's  position  of  neu- 
trality, but  the  American  Red  Cross  was  able 
to  give  substantial  assistance  to  the  hard- 
worked  medical  staffs  in  all  the  armies  by 
sending  71  doctors  to  Europe,  in  addition  to 
a  sanitary  commission  of  forty-three  persons 
that  took  up  the  fight  against  the  typhus 
plague  in  Serbia. 

HELP  TO  MANY  LANDS 

The  two  surgical  and  nursing  units  that 
went  to  England  were  assigned  to  the  Royal 
Naval  Hospital  at  Haslar  and  the  American 
Women's  Relief  Hospital  at  Paignton,  both 
on  the  southern  coast,  but  after  a  few  weeks 
the  unit  sent  to  Haslar  joined  the  other  at 
Paignton,  where  a  larger  force  was  urgently 
needed.  There  they  toiled  in  the  beautiful 
Oldway  House  that  had  been  converted  into 
a  hospital  for  British  soldiers  who  could  be 
brought  back  from  the  front. 

The  units  sent  to  France  were  assigned 
to  Pau,  where  they  first  had  to  convert  a  por- 
tion of  the  Palais  d'Hiver  to  hospital  pur- 
poses. There  were  no  other  trained  nurses 
at  Pau,  so  to  the  American  nurses  fell  the  task 
of  caring  for  the  most  seriously  wounded  men. 
Later  a  number  from  this  unit  were  sent  for 


emergency  service  in  the  typhus  struggle  in 
Serbia,  when  many  of  the  sanitary  commission 
were  themselves  stricken  with  the  disease.  A 
small  group  of  the  nurses  in  the  French  units 
served  at  Yvetot,  while  not  far  away  was  the 
Belgian  unit  in  the  hospital  town  that  had 
grown  up  in  La  Panne. 

The  units  sent  to  Germany  were  distributed 
at  Gleiwitz  and  Kosel,  in  Silesia,  near  the 
Polish  border.  At  Gleiwitz,  a  theater  con- 
verted into  a  hospital  was  the  institution  to 
which  the  doctors  and  nurses  were  assigned, 
while  at  Kosel  they  were  placed  in  charge  of 
the  garrison  hospital.  Americans  resident  in 
Munich  established  there  an  American  Red 
Cross  hospital,  which  was  assisted  by  the  so- 
ciety. In  Vienna  a  modern  school-house,  con- 
verted into  the  Royal  Auxiliary  Hospital  No. 
8,  was  the  field  given  one  of  the  units  sent  to 
Austria-Hungary,  and  at  Budapest  the  former 
asylum  for  the  blind,  taken  over  for  the 
wounded,  became  the  care  of  the  unit  sent 
there.  The  Russian  units  were  stationed  at 
Kief,  but  later  their  field  of  operation  was 
broadened. 

The  first  unit  that  went  to  Serbia  was  sta- 
tioned in  Belgrade,  where,  in  addition  to  car- 
ing for  the  wounded,  it  devolved  upon  the 
Red  Cross  to  furnish  food  for  starving  thou- 
sands during  the  Austrian  occupation.  Ser- 
bian Units  2  and  3  were  assigned  to  Gevgli, 


©     Underzvood  and   Underwood. 


Hospital   Ship  Red  Cross 


The  first  ship  of  mercy,  which  carried  the  units  of  surgeons  and  nurses  from  New  York,  September 

12,  1914,  to  aid  the  wounded. 


46 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


near  the  Greek  border,  where  they  took  up 
their  work  in  a  hospital  that  occupied  a  ware- 
house and  tobacco  factory. 

In  the  spring  of  191 5  Serbia  was  over- 
whelmed by  an  epidemic  of  typhus  which 
threatened  to  spread  throughout  Europe.  In 
cooperation  with  the  Rockefeller  Foundation 
and  British,  French  and  Russian  authorities, 
the  American  Red  Cross  sent  a  sanitary  com- 


whose  suffering  in  some  of  the  countries  was 
scarcely  less  than  that  of  the  wounded.  The 
organization  also  extended  relief  in  various 
forms  to  the  Armenians,  Syrians,  Poles  and 
Lithuanians. 

The  value  of  relief  supplies  shipped  to  Eu- 
rope by  the  American  Red  Cross  before  the 
United  States  entered  the  war  exceeded  $1,- 
500,000,  of  which  about  $350,000  worth  went 


\i 


n' !>■' '. . 


United  States  Medical  Officers 

Attending  wounded  German  prisoners  near  Morielly.     The  enemy  were  given  as  expert  care  as  our 

own  men. 


mission  to  Serbia,  and  after  a  heroic  struggle 
in  which  members  of  the  commission  were 
stricken  and  some  died,  the  scourge  was  over- 
come. The  commission  also  extended  relief 
to  Serbian  refugees  along  the  Albanian  coast, 
on  the  island  of  Corfu  and  the  mainland  of 
Greece. 

Throughout  its  operations  in  the  various 
belligerent  countries  the  American  Red  Cross, 
with  the  assistance  of  the  International  Com- 
mittee of  the  Red  Cross  at  Geneva,  strove  to 
ameliorate  the  condition  of  prisoners  of  war 


to  the  Central  Empires,  in  addition  to  which 
medical  supplies  valued  at  nearly  $230,000 
were  purchased  and  shipped  for  the  German 
and  Austrian  Red  Cross. 

During  191 6,  with  the  regular  governmen- 
tal relief  agencies  in  the  various  countries  able 
to  cope  with  the  task  before  them,  it  was  pos- 
sible for  the  American  Red  Cross  to  reduce 
its  efforts  in  Europe,  and  eventually  to  with- 
draw. There  then  loomed  up  the  mighty  task 
of  preparing  against  the  entry  into  the  con- 
flict of  the  United  States. 


THE  SERVICE  OF  THE  RED  CROSS 

How  the  Badge  of  the  Old  Crusaders  was  Borne  Again  for  An  Ideal 


I'M  going  over  the  top  to-night,"  the  dough- 
boy told  a  wounded  comrade,  "and  if  I 
don't  come  back  I  want  you  to  send  this 
money  to  the  Red  Cross.  I  borrowed  it  from 
them  and  I  want  to  play  square.  It's  a  friend 
in  need  and  the  greatest  thing  of  the  sort  on 
earth." 

This  attitude  towards  the  Red  Cross  was 
typical  of  just  about  every  American  soldier, 
enlisted  man  or  officer,  who  went  to  France. 

For  didn't  the  Red  Cross  find  them  when 
they  crouched  cold  and  tense  in  the  trenches 
waiting  for  the  "zero  hour,"  when  they  lay 
torn  and  bleeding  on  the  stretchers  in  the  field 
dressing  stations,  and  when  they  were  lonely 
and  troubled  back  in  the  rest  areas? 

Sometimes  that  service  was  a  cigarette,  a 
piping  hot  drink,  a  surgical  dressing,  a  news- 
paper, or  a  few  cheery  words  and  a  friendly 
smile.  And  only  the  soldier  himself  can  tell 
the  real  story  of  what  these  things  m.eant 
"over  there." 

"Say,  what  kind  of  a  town  is  this?"  a  cross 
voice  from  a  truck  inquired  from  the  cross- 
roads at  the  front. 

"This  is  a  Red  Cross  town,"  retorted  the 
M.  P.  on  guard,  with  dignity.  "Come  up  to 
the  corner  and  we'll  fix  you  up  right." 

The  "corner,"  which  one  short  week  be- 
fore had  been  No  Man's  Land,  was  what  was 
left  of  Fleury  after  the  Germans  made  their 
hasty  retreat  in  the  fall  of  191 8,  but  it  was 
situated  at  the  principal  crossroads  of  that  sec- 
tor, and  practically  all  the  troops  going  to 
and  coming  from  the  trenches  had  to  pass  that 
way.     Could  canteeners  ask  for  more? 

A  ruined  building  on  the  corner  had  one 
wall  standing,  and  here  a  Red  Cross  tent  was 
pitched  by  a  Sergeant  who  had  "once  worked 
with  a  circus  and  knew  all  about  putting  up 
tents."  The  owners  of  the  tent  were  two 
American  girls,  and  when  they  arrived  at  that 
particular  spot  they  found  a  group  of  poilus 
lunching  in  the  ruins  they  coveted.     One  of 


the  girls  summoned  up  enough  courage  and 
enough  French  to  ask  if  they  might  put  their 
tent  there. 

"But  certainly,  Madame,"  replied  the  polite 
Frenchmen,  "we  are  just  moving  out." 

Just  behind  the  canteen  was  another  ruin, 
and  here  the  girls  slept,  except  when  it  rained, 
or  the  Boche  insisted  on  dropping  bombs,  both 
of  which  happened  frequently ;  then  they  hur- 
ried to  the  nearest  dugout.  Finally  the  Army 
got  nervous  about  them  and  insisted  that  the 
girls  use  a  dugout  a  little  farther  back.  Even 
if  one  couldn't  stand  up  straight,  the  new 
home  was  much  better  than  most  of  them,  be- 
cause the  rat  holes  had  been  carefully  cov- 
ered with  tin  by  some  thoughtful  engineers. 

This  particular  canteen  was  open  day  and 
night  and,  no  matter  what  the  hour  was,  any 
passing  soldier,  black  or  white,  was  fed,  the 
M.  P.  at  the  crossroads  acting  as  host  after 
midnight. 

"A  cup  of  something  hot  tastes  mighty  good 
along  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,"  a 
truck  driver  remarked  gratefully. 

The  canteen  also  boasted  a  rest  room,  and 
was  the  proud  possessor  of  a  piano  sent  back 
from  the  front.  A  small  black  boy  was  de- 
tailed to  play  it.  Officers  and  men  alike 
warmed  themselves  at  the  army  range,  which 
was  set  into  the  dirt  floor.  As  the  nearest  dis- 
tributing point  to  the  front  lines,  newspapers 
were  sent  there  and  called  for  by  the  various 
regiments  in  the  trenches. 

Hundreds  of  these  canteens  were  scattered 
over  all  the  sectors  occupied  by  the  American 
Army.  Red  Cross  workers — both  men  and 
wom.en — underwent  all  manner  of  hardships 
and  dangers  to  minister  to  the  boys  in  khaki. 

THEIR    HOURS    WERE   DAY   AND   NIGHT 

Canteen  women  did  marvelous  work  with 
long  shifts  and  few  hours  off.  They  were 
always  cheerful,  and  while  handing  out  their 


48 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


hot  drinks,  smokes,  and  sweet  chocolate,  al- 
ways had  time  for  a  friendly  word  or  two, 
and  a  smile. 

Some  of  them  slept  on  cots,  the  more  for- 
tunate ones,  while  others  rolled  up  in  blankets 
on  a  damp,  muddy  floor,  uncomplainingly.  It 
was  bitter  cold  and  the  snow  had  stacked  up 
outside,  while  the  wind  whistled  through  the 
cracks,  according  to  a  canteen  girl,  and  the 
rain  and  snow  leaked  through  the  roof  in  a 
hole   directly   over  her  head,   but,   she   added 


things   that    ought    to   have    been    in    graves. 

"One  of  the  boys  took  me  out  to  look  at 
a  certain  bush.  'What  is  that  hanging  up 
there?'  I  asked  him.  Then  he  wondered  why 
I  felt  faint  and  sick  when  he  told  me  it  was 
bits  of  a  man  blown  there  by  a  machine  gun." 

The  Red  Cross  men  following  the  Ameri- 
can troops  northwest  of  Verdun  had  to  under- 
go constant  shelling  and  gas  attacks.  The 
division  to  which  two  Red  Cross  men  were 
attached   was   being   heavily   shelled,   but   the 


In  a  Little  French  Cafe  in  "Red  Cross  Town" 

Soldiers  billeted  behind  the  lines  thronged  any  place  that  offered  a  little  entertainment  after  the  long 

grind  at  the  front. 


laughingly,  "I  always  managed  to  shift  my 
cot  so  the  stream  of  water  landed  on  the  rain- 
coat on  my  feet  instead  of  my  head.  Some 
of  the  women  slept  under  open  umbrellas  to 
keep  dry." 

Another  canteen  girl  told  the  following 
story:  "When  Chateau-Thierry  had  been 
cleared  of  the  Germans,  we  moved  there  and 
opened  our  canteen.  The  basement  we  used 
as  a  store  room  was  filled  with  the  smell  of 
mustard  gas  and  the  walls  were  streaked  with 
it.  The  garden  had  been  the  scene  of  some 
sort  of  a  hand-to-hand  scrap  and  there  were 
many  new  graves  under  the  bushes  and  many 


two  men  went  on  with  their  work  of  distrib- 
uting food,  smokes,  and  hot  drinks.  After 
giving  out  these  welcome  supplies,  they  re- 
turned to  their  camion,  only  to  find  it  under 
a  heavy  barrage,  so  took  shelter  in  an  old 
German  dugout. 

In  a  few  minutes  a  big  shell  landed  and  the 
Red  Cross  men  had  to  be  dug  out  of  the  de- 
bris. The  same  shell  killed  two  soldiers 
standing  near  the  camion.  On  their  way 
back  one  of  the  Red  Cross  men  was  severely 
wounded  and  the  other  killed  at  the  wheel. 
The  car  was  completely  wrecked. 

Two  rolling  kitchens  reached  every  part  of 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


49 


the  wide  area  occupied  by  the  27th  Division 
previous  to  their  entrance  into  the  fight  in 
July,  191 8,  and  a  report  from  that  Division 
stated  that  every  wounded  man  received  com- 
fort from  the  Red  Cross  kitchens. 

On  one  occasion  the  rolling  kitchen  with 
the  First  Division,  America's  famous  shock 
troops,  served  700  men  going  into  the  trenches 
with  beef  stew  and  hot  chocolate  in  a  single 


kitchen  such  a  brilliant  camouflage?"  the 
Red  Cross  canteener  asked  several  doughboys 
busily  engaged  in  painting  it  the  most  vivid 
and  conspicuous  colors. 

"Getting  ready  for  the  Fifth  Avenue  pa- 
rade," one  of  the  men  replied  with  a  grin. 

On  Christmas  Day,  19 18,  one  of  these  kitch- 
ens baked  24  turkeys  with  all  the  real  Ameri- 
can "fixings,"  doughnuts,  pies,  and  other  good 


©     Underwood  and   Underwooa. 

The  Kitchen  On  a  French  Hospital  Barge 

One   of   the   Seine   River   boats,   which   was    converted  by  the  Union  of  Women  of  France  into  a 

Red  Cross  Hospital.     Each  hospital  contained  40  beds. 


day  from  8  a.m.  to  10:30  p.m.,  and  gave 
refreshment  to  a  raiding  party  later  the  same 
night. 

The  four  field  hospitals  of  the  26th  Divi- 
sion used  four  of  these  rolling  kitchens,  which 
were  taken  from  the  Soissons  front  to  every 
front  occupied  by  this  Division.  One  of  them 
was  used  for  heating  water  for  use  in  the  hos- 
pitals, while  the  others  cooked  soups,  hot  choc- 
olate, and  food  for  patients  between  meals,  and 
for  the  doctors  and  nurses  between  opera- 
tions. 

"What   is   the   idea   of  giving  that  rolling 


things,  for  the  four  field  hospitals  of  the  30th 
Division. 

Drinking  tea  from  blood-stained  German 
helmets  was  only  one  of  the  make-shifts  to 
which  ambulance  drivers  in  France  were  com- 
pelled to  resort.  In  telling  the  story,  the  Red 
Cross  driver  said,  "One  interesting  fact  is 
that  in  all  the  horror  of  evacuating  hundreds 
of  wounded  men,  w^e  were  still  able  to  eat. 
The  only  time  I  came  near  losing  my  appetite 
was  the  day  we  had  not  eaten  for  twenty-four 
hours  and  some  Australian  chaps  made  tea  in 
a  German  helmet.     I  saw  the  blood  around 


50 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


the  rim  and  it  certainly  turned  my  stomach." 
He  went  on  to  say,  "We  were  working  at 
the  first  aid  posts,  going  over  the  trenches, 
past  dugouts,  and  ours  were  the  only  cars  in 
the  advanced  area.  We  worked  as  far  as  the 
regimental  aid  posts.  This,  we  were  told,  was 
because  our  cars  and  drivers  were  reliable. 

"Once  three  men  on  a  stretcher  were  killed 
by  a  German  shell,  at  a  post  half  a  mile  be- 
yond me.  Later  I  was  advanced  to  a  further 
position  on  the  Hindenburg  Line.     Here  we 


lished  by  a  girl  canteener  in  the  Red  Cross 
canteen  for  aviators  at  Issoudun.  She  made 
fifty  sandwiches  in  five  minutes,  or  ten  a  min- 
ute, when  using  cheese,  which  is  the  quickest 
filling.  But  speed  was  an  essential  in  pre- 
paring food,  when  one  considers  that  the  boys 
at  the  Third  Aviation  Instruction  Camp  de- 
voured three  thousand  in  a  day. 

The  cold  was  intense  at  this  camp,  yet 
the  girls  arose  at  reveille,  and  began  to  mop 
off  the  tables  with  cloths  that  froze  as  soon 


©     Underwood  and    Underwood. 


Bringing  in  the  Wounded  on  the  Western  Front 

A  British  official  photograph  showing  the  way  in   which   wounded   soldiers   were   carried   to   the 

dressing  stations. 


worked  night  as  well  as  day.  One  night  we 
were  ordered  to  a  post  up  in  the  lines  to  carry 
back  wounded  who  were  lying  in  the  rain. 
No  stretcher  bearers  were  near  enough  at 
hand  to  carry  them  farther  back.  While  we 
were  up  there  we  went  through  shell  and 
machine  gun  fire,  and  two  kinds  of  gas  were 
thrown. 

"Just  as  I  left  my  ambulance  and  walked 
inside,  a  shell  landed  in  the  courtyard  of  the 
farmhouse  where  the  battalion  aid  post  was 
located,  the  shrapnel  piercing  my  ambulance. 
Fortunately  no  one  was  in  it,  but  I  would 
have  reentered  it  myself  two  minutes  later." 

A   record   in   sandwich  making  was  estab- 


as  they  were  wet.  Sometimes  German  pris- 
oners had  already  built  the  fires,  and  some- 
times they  hadn't,  but  the  hot  coffee  was  al- 
ways ready  for  the  boys,  who  came  off  duty 
half  frozen  and  very  tired. 

"Sundays  and  holidays  were  just  the  same 
to  us,"  one  of  the  girls  said.  "It  was  con- 
sidered a  disgrace  not  to  have  hot  drinks,  sand- 
wiches, and  other  'eats'  for  the  boys  all  the 
time." 

A  Red  Cross  man  told  of  his  experience 
running  a  field  canteen.  "I  went  up  to  the 
town  of  Sovain  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing with  hot  chocolate  and  cigarettes.  Then 
I  was  asked  to  go  out  into  No  Man's  Land 

VII— 4 


The  Identification  Badge  worn  by 
Executives    in    time    of    disaster 


The  Borglum  Bronze  Medal  awarded 
to  winners  in  first  aid  contests 


^^lEXECUTfYI^ 


Membership 
Badges  showing 
the  various  sizes 


The  Badge  for 
Dietitian,  serving 
either  in  mihlary 
hospitals  or  as  in- 
structor in  Red 
Cross  courses 


The  Badge  for  Red 
Cross  Physicians 


The   Badge  for 
Enrolled  Nurses 


The  Badge  for  Executive3 
in  National.  Divisional, 
or  Chapter  Headquarters 


Life  Saving  Medallion  for  mem- 
bers of   the  Life  Saving  Corps 
who  enroll   for  two  years 


The  Medal  for  students  finishing 
the  advanced  course  in  first  aid 


The  Ribbon  for  women  work- 
ers for  additional  service  and 
to  be  worn  above  the  regular 
Service  Badge 


Bars  may  be  added  to 
the  Students'  Medal  to 
show     additional     work 


The  Badge  for 
Nurses  not  eligi- 
ble for  military 
duties  but  who 
serve  in  disas- 
ters at  home 


The  Badges  for  Life  Saving  and  First  Aid.    The  badge'on  the  left  is  for  beginners  in 

the  Life  Saving  Corps,  on  the  right  for  the  swimmers."    The  centre  one  is  for  those 

who  have  passed  the  life-saving  test 


Medals  and  Badges  of  American  Red  Cross 


# 


The  Button  worn  as  an 
alternate  for  the  Con- 
spicuous   Valor    Medal 


MEDALS  AND  BADGES 

of  the 

AMERICAN  RED  CROSS 


(D 


The  Button  worn  as  an 
alternate  for  the  Distin- 
guished   Service  Medal 


The  Bronze  Medal  to  be 
awarded  for  highly  meritor- 
ious service  in  time  of  war 


/ 


The  Service  Badge 
for  women  who  have 
worked     400    hours 


i  p^"^ 


^m^ 


The  Gold  Medal,  for  Conspicuous 

Valor     performed   on    behalf    of 

the  Red  Cross  under  fire  or  in  any 

great  peril 


I 


I 


11  II 

The  upper  Ribbon  can  be  worn  by  wo- 
men as  an  alternate  lor  the  Conspicuous 
Valor  Medal;  the  lower  Ribbon  as  an  al- 
ternate^ for  Distinguished  Service  Medal 


The    Silver    Medal    to   be 

awarded    for    distinguished 

service  in    time  of  war 


The  Service  Badge 
for  women  who  have 
worked    800    hou 


Medals  and   Badges  of  American  Red  Cross 


THE  ARMIES  OF  IMERCY 


51 


and  search  for  the  wounded.  With  two  am- 
bulances I  brought  in  forty  wounded  men 
who  had  been  lying  there  from  three  to  four 
hours.  On  the  way  back  I  had  to  leave  my 
car  four  different  times  to  seek  shelter  in  a 
shell  hole,  on  account  of  the  terrible  shelling 
of  the  road." 

Many  Allied  army  officers  thought  the  Red 
Cross  ambulance  drivers  were  very  reckless 
men  because  they  brought  their  ambulances 
within  fifteen  hundred  yards  of  the  Hinden- 
burg  Line  when  the  27th  and  30th  Divisions 
were  smashing  it. 

Working  all  night  with  their  gas  masks  on, 
under  heavy  shell  fire,  handling  1,286 
wounded  men  in  a  comparatively  short  length 
cf  time,  was  one  of  the  experiences  of  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  Ambulance  Section,  S.  S.  loi, 
during  the  victorious  drive. 

On  July  20,  191 8,  in  the  attack  at  Pierre- 
fonds,  word  was  received  that  several  thousand 
wounded  had  been  lying  on  the  ground  for 
48  hours.  Twenty  fully  equipped  ambulances 
were  sent  there  and  worked  eight  days  evacu- 
ating the  wounded  boys,  who  were  lying  under 
a  rain  of  shells.  This  entire  section  of  am- 
bulances went  into  action  at  seven  hours' 
notice. 

Another  time  the  Commanding  General  of 
the  27th  Division  notified  the  Transportation 
Department  of  the  Red  Cross  that  he  was 
going  into  the  fight  with  less  than  fifty  per 
cent,  of  his  ambulance  equipment.  Ten  fully 
equipped  ambulances  joined  the  Division,  and, 
when  Le  Cateau,  Le  Catelet,  and  Solesmes 
were  taken,  operated  all  "postes  de  secours" 
of  the  27th. 

Shell-torn  motor  vehicles,  from  motor  trucks 
to  ambulances,  with  battered  bodies,  and  shell- 
marked  mudguards,  showed  where  the  Red 
Cross  was  during  the  fighting. 

FIRST  AID 

Twenty-five  per  cent,  of  the  American 
wounded  received  first  aid  from  the  Red  Cross, 
which  meant  that  from  60,000  to  80,000 
wounded  men  had  treatment  from  24  to  48 
hours  earlier  than  the  Army  unassisted  could 
have  given  it  to  them.  Spreading  a  network 
of  emergency  relief  stations  through  the  Amer- 
ican  fighting  sectors  saved   countless   lives. 

A    worker    draws    a   vivid    picture    of    an 


emergency  canteen  in  an  evacuation  hospital. 
"I  was  loaned  to  the  canteen  section  and  went 
off  with  the  first  twelve  women.  This  was 
the  sixth  of  October,  when  the  big  row  was 
on  in  the  Argonne  Forest,  and  I  was  attached 
to  the  rolling  kitchens.  We  heard  the  big 
guns  day  and  night.  Everj'one  worked  long, 
long  hours,  and  all  the  time  the  wounded 
were  pouring  in.  I  was  on  duty  in  the  re- 
ceiving room  the  entire  night. 


'0     Western  Newspaper  Union. 

An  American  Stretcher  Hit  by  Shell 

"I  gave  the  poor  hurt  boys  a  drink  of  hot 
coffee  or  chocolate  as  soon  as  they  were 
brought  in,  to  stimulate  and  warm  them. 
They  were  almost  frozen,  starved,  awfully 
tired,  and  badly  wounded,  and  yet  they 
smiled  bravely.  All  through  the  long  night 
the  call,  'litter  bearer,'  was  heard,  and  the 
folding  doors  opened  to  admit  more  stretchers. 

"One  boy  said  he  had  been  in  a  'pocket' 
seven  days  and  was  nearly  starved.  After  one 
o'clock  I  was  the  only  woman  in  the  receiving 
hut.     A  voice  came  from  the  end  of  the  long 


52 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


stretcher  line,  'This  seems  like  home;  there's 
an  American  woman  here.'  " 

The  mothering  instinct  is  hidden  away  in 
every  woman ;  consequently,  whenever  there 
was  a  spare  moment,  canteen  worker,  motor 
driver  or  refugee  worker  would  slip  away  to 
visit  the  boys  in  the  hospitals.  For,  after  all, 
sick  men  are  like  small  boys.  They  wanted 
someone  to  tell  their  troubles  to,  and  nat- 
urally preferred  women  from  their  own  coun- 
try. 

When  the  Red  Cross  canteen  girl  appeared 
in  the  doorway  with  her  pile  of  gifts,  for  she 
never  went  without  first  visiting  the  nearest 
Red  Cross  warehouse,  she  was  greeted  with 
shouts  of  "Hurray!  Here  she  is  at  last." 
And  matches!  How  pleased  the  boys  were 
to  get  them.  They  were  one  of  the  big  luxu- 
ries in  warring  France. 

"Oh,  say,"  a  fellow  in  a  gray  dressing  gown 
sang  out,  "that  was  a  grand  story  in  the  maga- 
zine you  brought  me  last  time.     Think  you 


could  get  me  the  next  number?  I'd  like  to 
find  out  if  she  finally  landed  the  guy." 

Sometimes  on  the  road  this  particular  can- 
teen girl  would  stop  and  chat  with  the  engi- 
neers, who  were  working  hard  without  getting 
any  of  the  glory  of  it.  Maybe  she  would  beg 
some  cigarettes,  chocolates,  or  a  few  maga- 
zines to  cheer  them  up  a  bit. 

About  two  kilometers  north  of  Verdun  were 
three  Red  Cross  Outpost  Canteens,  which 
reached  men  m  the  front  line  trenches.  The 
canteens  were  constantly  exposed  to  shell  fire, 
and  one  day  while  the  Red  Cross  man  was 
distributing  cigarettes  and  hot  chocolate  to 
the  soldiers,  he  was  killed  by  a  high  explosive 
shell,  which  landed  just  in  front  of  the  can- 
teen. 

In  a  little  village  back  of  the  American  lines 
in  a  particularly  active  sector,  the  wounded 
were  coming  in  so  fast  that  the  canteen  girls 
were  pressed  into  service.  Some  of  the  men 
had  not  had  food  for  24  to  48  hours.     One 


Within  Sound  of  the  Guns 


&     Uiidcrivood  and   Underwood. 


Members  of  the  First  Aid  Nurses  of  the  Yeomanry  Corps  at  work  in  the  trenches  in  Northern 

France. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


53 


of  the  girls  bought  five  hundred  francs'  worth 
of  eggs,  which  she  boiled  hard.  She  then  made 
sandwiches  by  the  dozen  and  cocoa  by  the  gal- 
lon, which  she  served  to  the  wounded  and 
hungry  men. 

Some  of  the  boys  were  too  ill  to  have  these 
things,  so  they  were  fed  condensed  milk  in 
h  t  water. 

Hearing  that  a  nearby  hospital  had  been  hit 
by  a  bomb,  one  of  the  girls  rushed  over  there 
to  see  what  she  could  do.  She  found  two  des- 
perately wounded  boys,  one  with  a  bullet  in 
his  stomach  and  the  other  with  a  piece  of 
shrapnel  in  his  spine. 

The  doctor  in  charge  of  the  hospital  was 
working  to  the  limit,  and  the  girl,  realiz- 
ing they  would  die  without  immediate  atten- 
tion, went  back  to  the  little  village  and  asked 
the  surgeon  what  he  could  do.  He  promised 
to  give  them  the  "next  turn"  if  she  could  get 
them  over. 

She  called  to  a  passing  ambulance  driver 
and  with  his  aid  got  the  two  Joys  to  the  sur- 
geon. 

The  one  with  the  shrapnel  in  his  spine 
was  under  the  knife  for  three  hours,  but  finally 
recovered. 


HELPING  OUT 

Women  who  enlisted  as  canteen  workers, 
motor  drivers,  and  for  various  other  lines  of 
work  found  that  nursing,  carrying  stretchers, 
and  various  emergency  jobs  were  also  included 
in  their  duties.  Any  Red  Cross  worker,  man 
or  woman,  did  anything  that  the  occasion 
called  for;  that  is  why  they  made  a  success  of 
their  work. 

Twelve  hours  after  the  Franco-American 
drive  north  of  Verdun  started,  the  Red  Cross 
^  „shed  fifty  workers  with  mobile  kitchens  to 
the  evacuation  hospitals  directly  back  of  the 
lines.  It  was  the  first  hot  food  the  fighters 
had  had  for  three  days. 

"Second  time  to-day  I  have  had  real  food, 
and  the  Red  Cross  served  it  both  times,"  said 
one  boy  gratefully.  Another  added,  "My 
wound  hurts  like  hell,  but  you  don't  catch  me 
passing  up  a  chance  like  this  to  talk  to  an 
American  girl." 

There  were  25,133  American  wounded, 
who  passed  through  the  Gare  de  la  Chapelle 
in  Paris,  from  July  to  November,  191 8.  Mak- 
ing these  heroes  a  bit  more  comfortable  with 
a  soft  pillow,  a  cup  of  hot  liquid,  and  a  few 


i  niiLi  \.Kiiciii    and    Underwood. 


Just  Behind  the  French  Firing  Lines 

Showing    a    First    Aid    station,    where    the    badly  wounded  were  given  hurried  treatment  before 

being  conveyed  to  the  rear. 


54 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


pleasant  words  thrown  in  for  good  measure, 
was  the  woman's  part  at  this  post. 

The  Red  Cross  man's  "job"  was  to  unload 
the  trains,  take  the  wounded  to  the  receiving 
rooms,  in  the  station,  and  after  they  were  ex- 
amined and  tagged  according  to  the  nature 
of  their  wounds  by  the  surgeon,  put  them  in 
the  ambulances  for  the  various  base  hospitals. 

When  the  Red  Cross  took  entire  charge  of 
evacuating  the  trains  of  wounded  at  this  sta- 
tion, the  average  length  of  time  required  for 
getting  the  men  out  of  the  trains,  into  the  re- 
ceiving rooms,  then  into  the  ambulances  for 
the  hospitals,  was  four  hours.  In  less  than  a 
week's  time  after  this  work  was  taken  over 
from  the  French,  it  was  done  in  two  hours. 
Think  what  this  saving  in  time  must  have 
meant  to  boys  who  came  directly  from  the 
field,  often  with  only  first-aid  treatment.  To 
many  it  meant  life  itself. 

The  women  at  the  station  offered  the  sol- 
diers the  first  chance  to  talk  in  many  hours. 
"The  spirit  of  the  boys  was  admirable,"  said 
one  girl.  "  'Here  I  come,'  said  one  fellow, 
who  belonged  to  the  seemingly  endless  line  of 
walking  wounded.  'Been  only  hitting  on  three 
cylinders,  but  am  still  able  to  get  about.'  " 

The  men  liked  to  tell  the  American  women 
all  about  "how  it  happened." 

"Look  at  my  partner  over  there,"  one  Mis- 
souri boy  said.  "He  stopped  three  pills,  I 
only   got   two.      Serve  him   first." 

A  VICTORY  CHRISTMAS 

It  was  the  day  before  Christmas,  191 8,  and 
a  Victory  Christmas  at  that,  but  the  "casuals" 
at  Tours  looked  very  disconsolate  as  they 
wandered  aimlessly  around  the  camp.  The 
canteen  girls  hadn't  forgotten  what  day  it  was, 
and  were  making  their  preparations. 

The  next  night  the  canteen  vvas  ablaze  with 
red,  white,  and  blue  lights,  while  a  huge 
Christmas  tree  with  lots  of  tinsel,  and  bright 
colored  paper,  adorned  the  center  of  the  room. 
One  of  the  men  made  a  perfect  Santa  Claus 
and  assisted  by  three  doughboys,  dressed  up  as 
canteen  girls,  distributed  gifts  of  socks,  candy, 
nuts,  and  other  "goodies"  carrying  a  "Merry 
Christmas"  message. 

Then  later  in  the  evening  ice  cream,  sweet 
crackers,  candy  and  cigarettes  were  served. 
The  latest  American  music  played  by  the  Jazz 


band  from  the  Labor  Battalion  dispelled  the 
last  vestige  of  homesickness. 

Similar  parties  were  held  all  over  France  by 
the  "Greatest  Mother"  for  her  khaki  clad 
children.  Every  recreation  hut,  hospital,  and 
hotel  dispensed  true  Christmas  cheer.  Some 
had  dances,  others  vaudeville  shows,  but  all 
had  some  sort  of  entertainment. 

At  Base  Hospital  No.  7  Christmas  packages 
were  given  to  1,700  sick  boys  and  to  150 
nurses  and  doctors.  Each  ward  had  a  Christ- 
mas tree  and  a  Santa  Claus.  The  convales- 
cents gave  a  big  party  to  the  Belgian  orphans 
located  near  there.  A  Charlie  Chaplin  reel 
was  one  of  the  features  of  the  afternoon  and 
one  of  the  nurses  said  it  was  hard  to  decide 
who  enjoyed  it  the  most,  the  little  children 
or  the  grown-up  ones. 

Officers  and  nurses  had  a  good  time  in  the 
nurses'  recreation  hut.  Each  nurse  received 
a  small  bottle  of  perfume,  a  pound  of  choco- 
late candy,  chewing  gum,  nuts,  and  cookies; 
the  officers  had  a  box  of  cigars,  some  ciga- 
rettes, a  pair  of  socks,  a  raisin  bar,  and  some 
sweet  chocolate. 

Some  of  the  wards  had  musicales,  while  the 
men  munched  nuts,  "fudge,"  and  cookies  to 
their  hearts'  content. 

SEEING  PARIS 

Life  was  an  endless  row  of  outstretched 
khaki  arms,  mess  cups,  and  homesick  Yankee 
faces  to  the  canteen  girls  in  the  railway  sta- 
tions in  Paris.  These  Metropolitan  Can- 
teens, as  they  were  called,  served  the  boys 
who  passed  through  the  stations  en  route  to 
other  points  or  who  had  arrived  to  see  Paris. 
The  uniformed  man  could  get  a  good  meal, 
iiicluding  soup  and  dessert,  or  sandwiches  and 
coffee,  in  any  of  these  canteens  or  in  the  can- 
teen hotels. 

When  Uncle  Sam's  boys  began  to  flood 
Paris,  the  Red  Cross  opened  five  hotels  for 
enlisted  men  and  two  "rest  homes"  for  of- 
ficers, where  they  were  assured  of  good  food 
and  a  place  to  sleep.  The  officers  were 
charged  a  small  fee  but  the  doughboys  were 
guests  of  the  Red  Cross. 

The  biggest  of  the  canteen  hotels  was  the 
tented  hotel  on  the  Champs  de  Mars  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  French  capital.  Here  twelve 
hundred   soldiers   slept  every  night,   and   six- 


©    Courtesy  Red  Cross  Magazine. 

Sending  Santa  Claus  "Over  There" 

The  Red  Cross  received  and  shipped  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Christmas  packages,  and  distributed 

them  to  the  troops. 


56 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


teen  hundred  were  fed  in  the  daytime.  This 
tented  hotel  was  erected  by  the  Red  Cross 
Salvage   Department   in   eight   working  days. 

The  tents  had  seen  service  as  hospitals  at 
the  front  but  they  had  been  thoroughly  cleaned, 
as  had  been  also  the  hundreds  of  beds,  blankets, 
and  sheets  with  which  they  were  furnished. 

Every  hotel  had  a  large  recreation  room 
where  there  was  a  plentiful  supply  of  writ- 
ing materials,  books,  magazines,  and  news- 
papers. A  piano  usually  occupied  one  corner, 
and  the  boys  lingered  by  the  hour  to  hear  some 
honest-to-goodness  American  "rag."  In  addi- 
tion there  were  always  at  the  canteen  hotel, 
American  women  who  were  never  too  busy 
to  talk,  and  laugh,  and  dance  with  their  uni- 
formed guests. 

"This  place  isn't  like  home,"  said  one  of  the 
boys.     "It  is  home." 

This  was  the  most  genuine  compliment 
which  could  have  been  paid  the  efforts  of  the 
canteen  workers. 


FRILLS       FOR    THE    ARMY 

One  day  one  of  the  girls  from  Red  Cross 
Kitchen  No.  i,  which  was  located  in  the 
kitchen  of  the  Hotel  Regina,  and  was  famous 
for  its  "frills"  of  jelly,  cake,  pie,  doughnuts, 
soft  diets,  and  other  delicacies  for  the  wound- 
ed, went  to  one  of  the  hospital  wards  to  see 
what  else  the  sick  doughboy  might  fancy.  The 
kitchen  was  a  "caterer  to  lost  appetites." 

She  stopped  by  the  bedside  of  a  seriously 
wounded  boy,  whom  she  saw  at  a  glance  was 
dying.  His  only  request  was  for  some  ice 
cream,  so  the  Red  Cross  girl  dashed  to  the 
nearest  canteen  and  back  again  just  in  time. 
Shortly  after,  he  closed  his  eyes  and  passed 
bravely  on  "his  way  west." 

Delicacies  for  the  sick  boys  were  turned 
out  in  huge  quantities  by  fifty  French  maids 
under  the  direction  of  a  well-known  American 
girl,  who  boiled,  and  baked,  and  stewed  all 
day  long  and  often  into  the  night  to  please  the 


An  Improvised  Orchestra 

An   orchestra  was   always   an   inspiring  and   encouraging  thing  even  when  hastily  improvised  as  was 

this  one. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


57 


fickle  appetlties  of  wounded  boys.  In  the 
month  of  December,  191 8,  this  kitchen  fried 
50,043  doughnuts,  baked  6,073  pies,  and  made 
4,828  soft  diets. 

In  their  spick  and  span  uniforms  the  girls 
of  the  American  Red  Cross  Motor  Corps 
drove  what  the  boys  called  the  "pie-wagons," 
loaded  with  good  things,  on  a  daily  round  of 
the  hospitals.  In  addition  to  that  they  drove 
freight  trucks,  ambulances,  limousines,  road- 
sters— any  sort  of  car  used  in  Paris. 

When  the  Red  Cross  arrived  in  France  in 
June,  191 7,  in  accordance  with  its  usual  policy 
of  rendering  aid  to  agencies  of  relief  already 
at  work  rather  than  waiting  to  establish  its 


her  of  Allied  soldiers  fed  in  these  canteens 
in  four  months  was  1,524,523. 

A  couple  of  Irish  soldiers,  who  sat  drinking 
a  cup  of  American  coffee  and  munching  an 
American  doughnut,  watched  with  admiring 
eyes  the  wide-awake  American  girls,  who  were 
serving  and  chatting  with  the  men.  Finally 
one  of  the  Irishmen  said,  "No  wonder  those 
damn  Yankees  can  fight  like  hell." 

The  purpose  of  the  Red  Cross  canteens 
was  to  greet  the  men  on  their  arrival  in 
France,  follow  them  to  the  front  line  trenches, 
and  aid  them  in  the  field  dressing  stations  and 
at  the  base  hospitals.  Women  canteen  work- 
ers in  their  bright  costumes  cheered  them  at 


©     Underwood  and   Underwood. 


Women  of  the  Motor  Corps  of  America  Marching  in  New  York 


own,  it  gave  assistance  to  the  French  can- 
teens, which  were  being  operated  by  French 
societies  and  individuals.  Some  of  these 
canteens  were  about  to  close  from  lack  of 
funds. 

The  first  money  spent  by  the  Red  Cross 
in  canteen  work,  in  fact  the  first  money  spent 
by  the  Red  Cross  in  France  for  anything, 
bought  tobacco  and  comfort  bags  for  the 
poilus,  that  were  distributed  by  American 
women. 

Practically  every  French  Metropolitan  Can- 
teen was  receiving  aid  from  the  American 
Red  Cross  when  the  fighting  stopped,  includ- 
ing gifts  of  tobacco,  food,  clothing,  dormi- 
tory equipment,  and  financial  assistance  to  the 
extent  of  40,000  francs  per  month.    The  num- 


the  ports  of  entry,  and  were  the  last  ones  to 
wave  farewell  when  they  embarked,  victori- 
ous, for  "the  good  old  U.  S.  A." 

PLAYING  TAG   WITH  DEATH 

That  this  service  meant  playing  tag  with 
death  caused  no  great  agitation  to  the  men 
and  women  who  went  over  to  serve.  Red 
Cross  representatives  were  attached  to  each 
division,  and  American  women  were  frequently 
near  the  front  lines,  sometimes  within  reach 
of  shell  fire. 

A  Red  Cross  representative  describes  his 
activities  during  the  St.  Mihiel  drive,  giving 
a  picture  of  wartime  need,  and  how  that  need 
was  filled. 


58 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


"I  was  advised  that  the  town  of  Thiau- 
court  had  been  taken  by  our  infantry,  and 
immediately  got  my  man  and  car,  loaded  up 
with  five  thousand  cigarettes,  and  two  large 
cans  of  hot  chocolate,  and  started  out,  arriv- 
ing there  five  hours  later.  The  place  was 
still  under  shell  fire.  I  set  up  the  chocolate 
in  the  cellar  of  a  barn,  where  it  was  given 
out  to  the  wounded  men  who  were  being 
brought  in  on  stretchers  from  the  lines  200 
yards  away. 

"I  was  the  only  person  with  supplies  in  that 
town  for  three  days.  There  were  many  tragic 
sights.  The  stream  of  wounded  came  so  fast 
that  they  had  to  wait  on  the  stretchers  out- 
side the  barn  and  take  their  turns.  One  lad 
who  started  with  a  slight  wound  in  the  arm 
was  hit  by  a  piece  of  shell  while  in  the  am- 
bulance and  the  same  arm  was  nearly  severed 
from  the  body.  While  my  canteen  assistant 
held  his  hand,  the  surgeon  amputated  his  arm, 
a  little  morphine  being  the  only  anctsthetic. 
There  were  many  German  prisoners,  wound- 
ed, and  we  saw  that  they  had  drinks  and 
blankets  whenever  possible. 


"In  the  confusion  a  number  of  Americans 
got  into  French  sorting  stations,  one  of  which 
was  a  large  cave.  One  of  the  Red  Cross 
workers  went  over  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
and  finally  located  all  of  our  boys,  and  got 
them  properly  evacuated.  When  he  called  for 
the  last  time,  'Are  there  any  more  Americans 
here?'  a  voice  from  the  darkness  answered, 
'Yes,  I  am  an  American  prisoner,'  and  a  Ger- 
man officer  was  discovered,  who  begged  to  be 
associated  with  Americans  and  cared  for  by 
American  surgeons." 

A    BIT    OF    WHITE    MUSLIN 

Just  a  red  arrow  and  a  Red  Cross  on  fifteen 
inches  of  white  muslin  and  a  few  thumb  tacks 
have  saved  many  a  life  in  France.  They 
pointed  the  way  from  No  Man's  Land  to 
the  dressing  stations,  and  without  these  signs 
many  boys  would  have  stumbled  helplessly 
about  seeking  first  aid.  Over  six  thousand  of 
these  markers  were  in  use  on  all  of  the  Ameri- 
can fronts.  They  were  nailed  to  trees  and 
posts  and  even  laid  on  the  ground  as  a  guide 


©     Underwood  and    Underwood, 

Loading  American  Wounded  On  Train  For  Shipment  To  Debarkation 

Point 

Showing  the  Red  Cross  Trains  at  the  Royal  Base  Hospital,  France. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


59 


to    the    walking    wounded     and     the     litter 
bearers. 

On  quiet  fronts  the  main  dressing  stations 
were  located  as  near  as  possible  to  the 
"ditches,"  and  not  very  far  from  the  advanced 
first-aid  posts.  The  route  between  them  was 
always  plainly  marked  with  Red  Cross  signs 
and  the  station  itself  had  big  signs  facing  both 
ways,  and  projecting  over  the  street.  From 
the  main  dressing  stations  the  ambulance  driv- 
ers knew  the  roads  to  the  evacuation  hospi- 
tals. 

A    HOME   ACROSS   THE    SEA 

The  word  "hut"  means  more  than  a  mere 
shelter  since  its  use  in  the  war.  It  was  a  bit 
of  American  home  transported  across  the  sea 
for  the  use  of  the  boys  in  khaki.  American 
women  as  Red  Cross  workers  gave  these  huts 
the  homelike  atmosphere  that  only  a  woman's 
presence  can  give,  and  their  ingenuity  was 
taxed  to  make  curtains,  pillows,  and  other 
comfy  things  out  of  odds  and  ends. 

Trying  to  determine  what  sort  of  a  back- 


ground was  bright  enough  for  scores  of  khaki 
uniforms  and  what  kind  of  curtains  were 
pretty,  yet  would  conceal  lights  from  passing 
Hun  planes,  were  difficult  problems  for  even 
feminine  minds,  at  first.  The  color  scheme 
finally  adopted  almost  universally  was  blue 
walls,  yellow  ceilings,  and  green  doors  and 
windows. 

"Better  let  me  help  you  hang  those  cur- 
tains," suggested  a  lanky  chap  who  had  been 
watching  the  manufacturing  process  with  in- 
terested eyes.  "I  know  I'd  be  good  at  it,  be- 
cause my  business  at  home  is  undertaking,  and 
I  made  a  good  job  at  draping  caskets." 

Ninetj^-two  of  these  "homes,"  with  a  total 
personnel  of  274,  were  in  operation  in  France. 
Some  "huts"  were  tents,  some  converted  hotel 
lounging-rooms,  and  some  were  barracks 
erected  especially  for  the  purpose.  In  every 
case  they  furnished  the  convalescent  soldiers  at 
the  hospitals,  the  boys  on  leave  and  the  men 
in  transit  a  pleasant  place  to  spend  their  spare 
time,  a  place  where  they  found  games,  books, 
movies  and  various  other  kinds  of  wholesome 
recreation. 


IVyndliam,    Paris. 


Fete  for  Wounded  Soldiers 

Given  by  the  American  Fund  for  French  wounded  in  Paris. 


6o 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


CHEERING     EM    UP 

Moving  pictures  were  shown  In  the  huts, 
on  a  screen  put  up  against  an  old  barn,  and 
on  the  ceilings  of  the  hospital  wards  where 
men  were  too  ill  to  sit  up  but  could  enjoy 
seeing  their  favorite  stars  just  the  same.  The 
Red  Cross  movie  man  with  his  French  assist- 
ant in  his  little  camion  covered  miles  and 
miles  of  France,  cheering  up  American  sol- 
diers. 

Some  of  the  hospitals  had  a  thousand  or 
more  books,  which  were  in  charge  of  experi- 
enced librarians  in  the  guise  of  nurses  and 
orderlies.  There  were  plenty  of  O.  Henrys, 
Kiplings,  French  histories  and  technical  books, 
and  the  boys  read  them  until  they  literally 
fell  apart. 

"The  Red  Cross  boy  with  the  whistle"  was 
the  name  given  one  Red  Cross  man,  by  the 
soldiers  in  the  St.  Mihiel  Sector.  He  made 
regular  trips  to  the  trenches  with  his  pack  of 
newspapers.  The  boys  learned  to  know  his 
queer,  squawky  whistle,  and  appeared  in 
crowds  to  get  the  papers.  He  delivered  as 
many  as  18,000  papers  a  day,  and  on  one  oc- 
casion a  shell  exploded  beside  his  camionette 
and  put  it  out  of  commission  for  several  days; 
but  he  continued  his  work  on  foot. 

Every  hut  had  a  supply  of  newspapers,  be- 
cause every  boy  in  the  nearby  hospitals  had  to 
read  his  paper  every  day. 

Jazz  bands  were  made  up  of  the  patients 
and  personnel  of  the  hospitals,  and  whiled 
away  many  a  weary  hour  for  the  sick  men. 
For  the  convalescents  there  were  tennis  courts, 
baseball  fields  and  billiard  rooms  maintained 
by  the  Red  Cross.  The  typical  hospital  hut 
had  a  stage,  and  here  girls  rehearsed  the  boys 
in  vaudeville  acts,  tableaux  and  short  sketches. 
Boxes  of  make-up  and  costumes  changed  many 
a  doughboy  into  a  good-looking  chorus  girl. 

In  the  evenings  the  boys  used  to  drop  into 
the  little  office  of  the  Red  Cross  woman  in 
Chateauroux  and  sit  quietly  smoking,  content 
to  watch  an  American  woman,  as  she  made 
out  her  accounts.  One  young  fellow  went 
in  once  or  twice  a  week  and  usually  did  a  lot 
of  talking.  Sometimes  he  would  put  a  coin  or 
two  in  a  little  box  he  kept  in  the  worker's 
desk,  and  then  leave  abruptly  in  time  to  catch 
the  truck  back  to  camp. 

The  last  time  he  went  in  after  he  had  got 


his  orders  for  home  he  explained  about  the  lit- 
tle box.  He  said  when  he  was  bored  and  dis- 
gusted with  conditions,  as  he  often  was,  he 
wanted  a  drink  more  than  anything  else  in 
the  world.  Instead  he  went  in  to  see  the  Red 
Cross  worker,  and  when  the  longing  was  very 
bad  he  put  the  price  of  the  drink  in  the  little 
box.  He  and  this  American  woman  counted 
it  together  and  found  over  a  hundred  francs, 
and  she  went  with  him  to  buy  "something 
slick  for  his  wife." 

His  last  remark,  as  he  waved  good-by  from 
the  door,  was  characteristic,  "Good-by, 
mother;  if  you  ever  get  down  or  discouraged 
just  you  remember  the  beaucoup  francs  we 
saved  on  my  old  thirst,  and  I  will  remember 
the  Red  Cross  flag  waving  over  little  old 
Chateauroux  and  save  some  more  for  the  old 
girl's  trousseau." 

FOR  THE  WOMEN  BACK  HOME 

As  one  Red  Cross  woman  said,  "American 
women  sent  us  to  France  to  take  their  place 
for  a  little  while,  and  we  did  the  best  we 
could." 

Red  Cross  nurses  were  bombed,  gassed  and 
wounded,  and  somj  of  them  died  rather  than 
leave  the  sick  boys  entrusted  to  their  care. 
To  those  boys,  especially  the  ones  in  the 
French  hospitals,  they  stood  for  all  that  meant 
home  in  a  foreign  land. 

One  nurse  said,  "We  had  to  search  always 
for  the  seriously  wounded,  the  boys  themselves 
would  never  tell.  One  night  I  was  putting  a 
boy  to  bed  and  found  a  tourniquet  on  each 
ankle.  One  foot  was  gone,  the  other  was 
hanging  by  the  Achilles  tendon.  He  must 
have  been  in  fiendish  agony. 

"  'How  did  it  happen.  Buddy?'  I  asked. 

"He  could  hardly  speak  but  managed  to 
say,  *I  was  going  over  the  top  when  I  fell 
flat.  I  tried  to  get  up  and  my  feet  were 
gone,  but  it's  all  right.'  " 

As  a  rule  all  these  boys  asked  for  was  a 
cigarette  or  a  cup  of  cocoa.  There  were  no 
groans  or  lamentations,  and  for  that  reason, 
a  doctor  said,  the  surgeons  were  able  to  work 
so  rapidly  and  so  efficiently.  Blankets  and 
surgical  dressings  were  supplied  by  the  thou- 
sands. 

A  U.  S.  Army  surgeon  said:  "There  was 
nothing  haphazard  about  the  Red  Cross.     It 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


6i 


(iJ)     Underwood  and   Undenvood. 

Advanced  American  Red  Cross  Station  in  France 

This  station  was  in  charge  of  a  major  of  the  109th  Infantry,  28th  Division. 


was  right  with  us  in  every  fight,  with  no  red 
tape,  no  explanations,  and  no  accounting. 
All  we  had  to  do  was  ask  for  a  thing  and  we 
got  it  in  the  shortest  time  humanly  possible 
for  transportation." 

A  nurse  was  at  Mobile  Hospital  No.  114 
during  the  Chateau-Thierry  drive  when  the 
hospital  was  subjected  to  an  air  raid.  An- 
other nurse  lost  the  sight  of  her  right  eye 
when  on  duty  with  an  American  Red  Cross 
team  loaned  to  the  British  at  their  casualty 
clearing  station  about  sixty  miles  from  Dieppe. 

"Of  cigarettes,  the  main  source  of  comfort 
for  the  wounded,"  said  a  nurse  in  Hospital 
No.  5  in  Auteuil,  "we  always  had  a  plentiful 
supply.  Given  a  cigarette  and  tucked  safely 
in  bed  after  his  dressing  had  been  attended 
to,  we  never  knew  a  boy  was  there.  Ciga- 
rettes were  the  one  thing  to  which  the  boys 
always  looked  forward." 

The  first  wounded  American  soldiers  who 
found  themselves  in  French  hospitals  were  the 
loneliest  boys  in  the  world.  They  couldn't 
understand  the  nurses  and  doctors,  and  the 
personnel  couldn't  understand  the  boys.     The 


food  was  different  and  the  treatment  was  dif- 
ferent. Everything  seemed  all  wrong  to  those 
first  comers. 

One  sick  lad  remarked  aloud  to  the  world 
in  general,  "It  seems  to  me  that  we  have 
been  over  here  long  enough  now  for  these 
people  to  talk  United   States." 

The  difficulty  was  solved  by  sending  Red 
Cross  nurses  and  nurses'  aids  to  these  hos- 
pitals. This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Liaison 
Service  of  the  Red  Cross. 

The  Hospital  Militaire  at  Chalons-sur- 
Marne  was  one  of  those  where  the  Liaison 
Service  was  very  necessary.  At  the  time  tlie 
42nd  Division  was  in  camp  on  its  way  to 
Chateau-Thierry,  accident  cases,  who  were 
forced  to  drop  out  of  the  marching  columns, 
were  sent  to  this  hospital. 

Many  of  them  had  sprained  ankles,  or  were 
injured  by  refractory  mules,  and  while  unable 
to  fight  or  stay  in  the  regiment  in  liiat  condi- 
tion, were  not  ill  enough  to  be  confined  to 
their  beds.  These  men  were  entertained  and 
looked  after  till  they  were  able  to  be  sent  back 
into   the  service.      One   of  the  special   treats 


62 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


that  were  given  at  the  hospital  in  this  section 
was  the  custard  pies,  which  were  baked  under 
the  direction  oi  Red  Cross  women  and  served 
to  the  boys  on  the  4th  of  July  and  other  spe- 
cial occasions.  These  were  very  much  enjoyed, 
and  the  poilus  were  as  eager  as  the  Americans 
to  taste  this  Yankee  dish. 

When  the  Chateau-Thierry  offensive  be- 
gan this  was  the  nearest  hospital,  and  two  of 
the  Red  Cross  nurses  were  almost  blown  out 
of  bed  when  at  midnight  a  long  range  gun 
dropped  a  shell  close  to  the  house  where  they 
were  billeted. 

"Ver>-  early  in  the  morning  the  first  French 
wounded  began  to  come  in,  in  frightful  shape. 


Courtesy   of   Ainciicaii    l\cd   Cross. 

"Seeing  London"  by  Red  Cross  Omnibus 

Although  this  was  the  nearest  hospital,  it  was 
thirty  kilometers  from  the  front.  Red  Cross 
nurses  rendered  every  possible  aid  in  cutting 
the  clothes  from  these  terribly  wounded  men 
and  in  preparing  for  and  assisting  in  the  opera- 
tions. 

"While  things  were  at  their  worst,  word 
was  received  that  the  little  field  hospital  at 
Buss3'-le-Repos  had  been  practically  bombed 
to  pieces  and  they  were  moving  back  to  this 
hospital.  Beds  were  placed  in  barracks  on 
the  lawn  and  the  ambulances  began  unloading 
what  seemed  to  be  thousands  of  wounded  men. 
All  the  while  the  hospital  was  under  severe 
bomb  fire  and  the  long  range  guns  kept  up 
their  bombardment  every  seven   minutes. 

"Supplies  were  almost  impossible  to  obtain. 
Men   were   dying   all    around    us.      But    the 


nurses  worked  hard  to  make  them  as  happy 
and  comfortable  as  possible  with  their  meager 
equipment.  Serious  operations  were  per- 
formed by  candle  light.  Hour  after  hour  the 
operating  tables  were  filled  and  refilled.  Men 
were  in  the  last  stages,  and  it  was  impossible 
to  obtain  sufficient  nurses  to  care  for  them. 
We  worked  twehe  and  twenty-four  hours  at 
a  stretch,  while  those  men  less  severely  wound- 
ed aided  as  orderlies  and  carried  water  and 
food  to  the  more  seriously  wounded  men. 
Finally  it  became  necessary  to  evacuate  all  the 
hospitals  at  Chalons."  This  was  the  story 
of  one  of  the  nurses. 

At  Chantilly,  not  far  from  Paris,  was  lo- 
cated what  one  of  the  doctors  called  his  "tente 
Americaine."  This  was  a  tent  filled  with 
crates  of  everything  you  could  think  of,  made 
at  home  and  supplied  everyone  who  needed 
them. 

At  Soissons,  the  strain  was  terrific.  The 
hospital  camps  were  bombarded  continually, 
and  this  kept  up  for  fifteen  days,  instead  of 
six  as  it  had  at  Chalons.  Planes  rame  down 
low  enough  to  turn  their  machine  guns  on  the 
hospitals.  The  worst  damage  was  done  to 
the  pharmacy  tent,  which  they  filled  with 
holes,  but  the  Chateau,  where  there  were 
2,000  beds,  escaped  with  little  damage. 

The  courage  of  the  ambulance  drivers  was 
marvelous.  They  dashed  through  the  most 
exposed  places  under  heavy  bombardment  with 
absolutely  no  thought  of  their  personal  safety. 
Many  of  the  nurses  gave  anaesthetics  for  eight 
hours  and  had  eight  hours'  duty  in  the  wards 
and  eight  off. 

Everything  the  American  soldiers  needed 
and  wanted  in  the  French  hospitals  was  sup- 
plied, including  blankets,  hospital  equipment, 
jam,  tea,  cocoa  and  sugar.  Papers  and  maga- 
zines were  brought  to  them,  their  letters  were 
written,  workers  listened  to  the  story  of  "the 
prettiest  girl  you  ever  saw,"  and  heard  all 
about  "the  best  mother  in  the  world." 

With  nothing  but  an  ordinary  razor,  a  spool 
of  No.  40  cotton  thread,  and  a  small  portion 
of  ether  and  chloroform  at  her  disposal,  one 
Red  Cross  nurse  performed  a  life  and  death 
operation  and  saved  her  patient's  life. 

An  interesting  occupation  for  the  women 
workers  overseas  was  writing  letters  for  the 
Casualty  Department.  Messages  were  con- 
tinually received  by  this  department  by  mail 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


63 


and  cable  requesting  information  as  to  the  wel- 
fare and  whereabouts  of  men  in  the  Army  and 
Navy,  together  with  details  concerning  the 
nature  of  wounds  and  the  ultimate  fate  of  the 
man  inquired  for. 

In  order  to  secure  this  information  searchers 
were  appointed  and  assigned  to  each  division 
of  the  army,  while  women  visitors  were  as- 
signed to  the  various  hospitals,  which  they  pa- 
trolled in  a  constant  effort  to  secure  informa- 
tion. Lists  were  sent  out  each  day  of  men  re- 
ported wounded  or  thought  to  be  in  the  hos- 
pitals, and  these  were  given  to  each  division 
and  hospital  searcher.  As  soon  as  information 
was  secured  the  searcher  telegraphed  the  Paris 
office  giving,  in  brief,  the  nature  of  the  wound 
and  the  condition,  later  supplementing  the  tele- 
gram by  a  letter.  They  also  sent  in  weekly 
reports  concerning  the  condition  and  progress 


of  all  serious  cases,  together  with  the  number 
of  Field  Hospital  or  Evacuation  Hospital, 
where  possible. 

In  the  case  of  welfare  inquiries  the  division 
searchers  w^ere  instructed  to  see  the  man  if 
possible,  find  out  whether  he  was  well  and  on 
duty,  and  whether  he  had  been  writing  home 
regularly.  The  Paris  office  also  sent  out  a 
formal  letter  to  each  man  about  whom  a  wel- 
fare inquiry  had  been  received,  advising  him  of 
this  fact  and  requesting  him  to  answer  on  the 
enclosed  postcard  concerning  his  health  and 
general  welfare.  A  copy  of  this  postal  was  re- 
tained for  the  files  and  the  original  sent  to 
Washington. 

Missing  lists  were  also  sent  to  all  hospital 
searchers,  containing  the  names,  companies  and 
regiments  of  men  who  had  been  reported  miss- 
ing, prisoners,  wounded  or  dead. 


©     /   "'/'     r.        '         .'    Underwood, 

Airplane  View  of  a  French  Hospital  on  the  Aisne  Near  Soissons 

Showing  the  red  crosses  plainly  marked  on  the   roofs. 


64 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


IQ     Unaerwooa  ana    (JnUerwuud. 


Convalescent  Soldiers  "Sign  Up" 

This    one    is    signing    up    for    back    pay.     The    picture  was  taken    at   the  Walter   Reed    Hospital, 

Washington,  D.   C. 


"Wounded  yesterda\- — feeling  fine"  is  an  ex- 
ample of  the  message  most  boys  sent  home 
through  the  searcher.  But  they  carefully  for- 
got to  add  that  the  wound  was  a  serious  one. 
The  only  thing  the  boy  said  when  the  doctor 
pulled  the  clinging  gauze  from  the  raw  flesh, 
was  "Say,  Doc,  do  you  think  I  could  rest  a 
minute  before  you  do  the  next  one?"  After 
this  a  cigarette  was  placed  between  his  lips  and 
he  dictated  a  letter,  sometimes  like  the  above, 
to  the  woman  by  his  side. 

The  duties  of  the  searcher  were  endless. 
She  had  to  write  to  "mother,"  "wife,"  or  "my 
girl"  about  their  own  soldier,  his  health  and 
his  general  location  in  France.  Sometimes  she 
answered  inquiries  from  friends,  churches,  so- 
cieties and  organizations  of  all  kinds  as  to  men 
who  were  taken  prisoners,  men  who  were 
killed  and  unreported,  men  who  were  wound- 
ed, and  men  who  had  not  written  to  their 
families  in  months. 


It  was  the  kind  of  work  that  only  a  woman 
could  do,  and  an  American  woman  at  that. 
It  called  for  a  woman's  tact  and  a  woman's 
tender  smile.  Without  the  searchers  many 
would  never  have  received  the  news  of  their 
nearest  and  dearest,  nor  would  the  distress  of 
many  families,  to  whom  the  dread  word, 
"missing,"  had  come,  have  been  eased  until  the 
very  end  of  the  war. 

These  workers  also  did  man}'  little  acts  of 
kindness  in  passing  through  the  wards,  such  as 
pausing  to  bathe  fevered  faces,  adjusting  band- 
ages, passing  hot  drinks,  and  placing  the  sick 
boy's  collection  of  treasures  in  the  little  cre- 
tonne Red  Cross  bag  tied  to  his  bed. 

A    PINK   CREPE   DE    CHINE   APRON 

Another  service  rendered  the  doughboy  was 
helping  him  shop.  A  young  fellow  dropped 
into  the  Shopper's  office  in  Paris  one  morning 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


65 


and  told  her  he  wanted  to  get  a  wedding  pres- 
ent for  his  sister  and  he  couldn't  decide 
whether  to  send  her  a  pink  crepe  de  chine 
apron  with  orange  embroidery  he  had  been 
looking  at  the  day  before,  or  just  what  to  get. 

"That  sounds  nice,"  said  the  Shopper,  not 
wishing  to  hurt  his  feelings,  "but  why  not  get 
a  pretty  handkerchief  with  real  lace?"  Care- 
fully and  tactfully  she  made  the  suggestion 
and  he  bought  the  handkerchief  from  the  store 
to  which  she  led  him  pleasantly  but  firmly. 

Weeks  later  the  same  doughboy  hailed  her 
on  the  street.  "Say,"  he  said,  "I  can't  ever 
thank  j^ou  enough  for  helping  me  pick  out 
that  present.     My  sister  thinks  I  have  grand 


taste. 


GETTING   A    MARRIAGE    LICENSE 


Another  boy  arrived  in  Paris — object,  mat- 
rimony. But  where  and  how  could  he  get  a 
license?     Someone  suggested  the  Red  Cross, 


and  after  wading  through  the  legal  maze,  the 
Home  Service  Bureau  turned  over  to  the 
happy  bridegroom-to-be  all  papers  properly 
signed  and  sealed. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Red  Cross  Man,"  a  voice  called 
from  one  end  of  the  long  hospital  ward.  "I 
got  pretty  badly  shot  up,  and  I  ain't  had  a 
word  from  home  in  eight  months,  and  my 
service  record  got  captured  by  Fritz,  so  my 
pay  stopped  coming  to  me,  and  I  just  worry 
about  my  allotment.  And  my  wife  ain't  well 
and  the  baby  is  delicate  and  I  wish  you  would 
get  me  a  toothbrush." 

The  Worker  started  with  the  toothbrush 
and  gradually  straightened  out  the  tangle. 
Another  man  wrote  that  he  could  "soldier 
better"  since  he  had  a  letter  from  his  wife 
saying  the  Home  Service  at  home  had  given 
her  medical  attention  and  that  she  was  getting 
well  and  was  happy  again.  Such  service 
helped  to  strengthen  the  morale  of  the  men. 


Underwood   and    Underwood. 


Wounded  British  and  French  Soldiers 

Allied  brothers-in-arms,  who  were  wounded  in  the  same  battle,  being  treated  at  a  casualty  clearing 

station  on  the  Western  front  by  Red  Cross  nurses. 


66 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Verdun  Offensive  Wounded,  Working  Back  To  Advanced  Aid  Station 


CHRISTIAN   SOLDIERS 

A  boy  badly  wounded  was  lying  on  a  Utter 
in  a  field  hospital.  He  knew  he  could  not 
live  and  as  the  Red  Cross  Chaplain  knelt  be- 
side him  trying  to  comfort  and  cheer  him,  the 
soldier  opened  his  eyes  and  said,  "Chaplain, 
I  am  going  to  die.  I  want  you  to  tell  my 
mother  I  die  game."  A  few  seconds  later  his 
voice  trailed  off  into  a  whisper — "I  die 
game." 

Chaplains  were  supplied  to  all  evacuation 
hospitals.  From  eighty  to  one  hundred  well 
qualified  clergj^men  of  different  denominations 
served  the  boys  under  the  Red  Cross  flag. 

FROM   A   SHOE   STRIXG   TO   AN   ANESTHETIC 

To  supply  the  American  soldier  with  the 
things  he  needed  and  wanted,  the  Red  Cross 
went  into  the  department  store  business  in 
France  on  a  very  extensive  scale.  Base  ware- 
houses scattered  over  the  entire  country  car- 


ried everything  from  a  shoe  string  to  a  violin, 
and  supplied  Red  Cross  Workers  at  the  hos- 
pitals, in  the  recreation  huts,  in  the  field,  and 
back  in  the  rest  areas. 

A  catalogue  of  standard  supplies  was  com- 
piled to  be  used  as  a  guide  for  anyone  inter- 
ested in  purchasing,  requisitioning,  or  ware- 
housing supplies.  This  proved  a  great  help  to 
those  in  the  field. 

From  September,  191 8,  to  January,  1919, 
the  shipments  made  from  base  warehouses 
alone  to  those  in  every  Red  Cross  Zone  were 
valued  at  21,683,790.80  francs.  The  section 
of  hospital  supplies,  the  department  of  French 
warehouses,  the  Construction  Department, 
and  the  Transportation  had  their  own  ware- 
houses, 

A  certain  regiment  had  moved  up  beyond 

its  baggage  train.     "Can  the  Red  Cross  ship 

blankets  and  kits?"     This  was  one  emergency 

request  and  it  was  answered  with  a  carload 

of  blankets  and  other  necessities. 

VII— 5 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY                                             67 

"A  field  hospital  is  needed  behind  the  new  adopted,  and  five  hundred  thousand  contain- 

American  lines."     Carloads  of  hospital  equip-  ing  instructions  for  making  correct  dressings, 

ment,  surgical  dressings,  and  drugs  were  as-  appliances    and    accessories,    were    distributed 

sembled,  packed  and  shipped.  broadcast  by   the  Red   Cross  and  the   U.   S. 

From  the  date  of  the  German  advance  in  Army. 

April,    19 1 8,    to   June,    19 18,    an    emergency  So  well  was  this  work  done  and  so  rapidly, 

crew  was  kept  busy  night  and  day  to  meet  that  in  September,   191 8,  when  an  inventory 

just  such  demands.     On  some  nights  as  many  was  made  of  all  available  surgical  dressings  in 

as  20  to   30  camion  loads  were  sent   to   the  France,    the   reserve  stock   was   found   to   be 

front — to   canteens,    to    refugee   stations,    and  sufficient   to  allow  cessation   of  all   work   in 

to  convoys   of  wounded   pouring   into   Paris.  America,   and   the   Red   Cross  closed   two  of 

In  one  month    1,140  requisitions  were  filled  its  manufacturing  departments  in  Paris.    The 

from  one  warehouse.  hist  stitch  was  taken,  the  last  article  folded, 

One  day  a  message  came  that  a  field  hos-  and    the    last   case    closed    in    the    remaining 

pital   was   out    of    ether — operating   on    con-  workrooms     on     November     9,     191 8.     The 

scious   men,   because   none   had   been   sent   or  work   of   the   American    Red    Cross   Surgical 

perhaps  none  could  be  obtained.     Heaven  and  Dressings  Service  was  finished, 

earth  were  moved  until  that  camion  of  ether  The   Medical  and   Surgical  Section  of  the 

was  on  its  way  to  those  boys.  Red  Cross  was  to  function  only  in  extreme 

"Send  twenty  thousand  pounds  of  ether  to  emergencies — where     the     Army     supply     or 

Cosne   and    ten    thousand   pounds    to   Is-Sur-  transportation     had     failed,     and     the     sick, 

Tille"  is  an  example  of  the  magnitude  of  a  wounded   and   convalescent  were   in  need   of 

single  order.     Five  carloads  of  surgical  dress-  immediate  relief — but  there  were  other  phases 

ings   were   shipped,    November    12,    19 18,    to  of  hospital  work  the  Red   Cross  assumed  in 

the  Commanding  Officer  at  Nancy.  their  entirety. 

The  warehouse   at   Tours  was   kept   open 

twenty-four  hours  a  day  and  "Dad,"  as  the  ^g  good  as  new 
doughboys    affectionately    called    the    man    in 

charge,   gave   out   blankets   and   medical   sup-  Among   fifty   thousand!   wounded   men   the 

plies   by    the   dozens.      All    of    the    "casuals"  percentage  of  fracture  cases  is  estimated  to  be 

received   the  comforts   they  needed  so  badly.  forty  per  cent.     And  on  that  basis  the  United 

Then    on    Christmas,    1918,    "Dad"    loaded  States  Army  ordered,   from   the   Red   Cross, 

three  big  trucks  full  of  Christmas  packages —  462,350  splints,  including  everything  from  a 

containing  smokes,  candy,  and  socks — and  dis-  trench    litter    to    an    adjustable    arm    splint, 

tributed  them  among   1,500  waiting  soldiers.  from   September,    1917,   to   November,    1918. 

Of     this     number,     294,583     were     actually 

SOME  women's  bit  ;shipped,    while    the    remaining    orders    were 

canceled  when  hostilities  ceased. 

There  wasn't  much  glory  attached  to  the  The  splints  were  standardized  too,  and  the 

monotonous  and  seemingly  endless  making  of  P-ed  Cross  assisted  in  the  development  of  new 

rurgical  dressings  by  the  wom-^n  at  home  and  appliances  invented  by  Army  officers.     Dur- 

in  France,  but  without  their  work  many  more  ing  the  trying  days  of  May,  June  and  July, 

lives  would  have  been  lost.     Because  of  their  191 8,  the  Splint  Department  worked  from  15 

labor    the    American    bo3's    never    had    their  tj  18  hours  every  day  filling  orders  for  splints 

wounds  stuffed  with  paper,  or  went  without  and   surgical   dressings.      In   connection   with 

the    right    kind    of    bandage.       There    was  the    splint    manufacturing    department,     the 

always  an  abundant  supply  on  hand.  Red    Cross    operated    a    repair    shop    where 

These    dressings    were    standardized    by    a  broken  splints  were  mended, 

board  appointed  for  the  purpose  by  General  It  also  began  the  manufacture  of  artificial 

Pershing  in   191 7.     From  experience  gleaned  limbs  for  the  American  Army  in  conjunction 

in  the  war,  manuals  were  compiled  from  lists  with   the  work  of  this  kind  it  was  carrying 

submitted  to  the  chief  surgeon  of  the  Ameri-  on  for  the  French  Army. 

can     Expeditionary     Forces.       These     we^-e  It  has  been  proved  beyond  any  doubt  that 


68 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


the  lives  of  thousands  of  our  boj's  were  saved 
with  the  nitrous  oxide  gas  supplied  to  the 
Army.  This  gas  was  manufactured  and  dis- 
tributed by  the  Red  Cross.  The  Army  used 
3,176,256  gallons  of  it,  Red  Cross  hospitals 
405,620  gallons  and  miscellaneous  hospitals 
^vere  supplied  with  251,110  gallons  from 
September,  1917,  to  February  28,   I9i9- 


©     Brown  Bros. 


Dr.  George  W.  Crile 

Who    first    demonstrated    the    value    of    nitrous 
oxide  gas  as  an  anaesthetic. 

The  value  of  nitrous  oxide  gas  as  an 
anaesthetic  was  first  demonstrated  in  France 
by  Col.  George  W.  Crile,  of  the  U.  S.  Army, 
and  has  never  been  questioned  by  medical 
authorities.  It  was  employed  with  the  utmost 
advantage  in  chest  surgery  and  in  operating 
on  men  wounded  in  the  abdomen.  Under 
this  anaesthetic  the  percentage  of  recovery  was 
72  per  cent.,  and  with  ether  or  chloroform, 
50  per  cent,  was  the  best  average  of  recovery. 


The  diet  kitchens  were  just  as  important 
to  the  recovery  of  a  wounded  man  as  having 
the  right  kind  of  splint  and  a  surgeon  to 
operate  at  the  crucial  moment.  They  were 
especially  valuable  to  the  hospitals  at  the 
front.  The  staff  was  composed  of  women 
thoroughly  versed  in  a  knowledge  of  dietetics. 
Here  delicacies  were  prepared  and  the  boys 
served  with  many  a  palatable  dish  otherwise 
unobtainable.  All  these  things  were  aids  in 
keeping  up  the  soldier's  morale. 

A  little  vine-covered  studio  tucked  away 
in  the  Rue  Notre  Dame  des  Champs  in  Paris 
was  the  workroom  of  Anna  Coleman  Ladd, 
the  sculptor,  who  made  marvelous  copper 
portrait  masks  for  the  muiilcs  of  France. 
This  was  done  under  the  sheltering  wing  of 
the  Red  Cross.  While  the  men  sat  waiting 
for  the  magic  mask,  which  would  shield  their 
families  and  friends  from  the  horror  of  their 
sacrifice  on  the  battlefields,  they  played  cards 
or  drank  their  favorite  vin  blanc. 

"My  brother  and  I  look  alike,"  said  one 
poilu.  So  the  brother  was  used  as  a  model. 
"My  friend  and  I  had  eyes  just  the  same 
color,"  another  confided  to  the  artist,  and  that 
friend  was  sent  for. 

The  life-like  effect  of  these  masks  is  start- 
ling, and  at  a  meeting  of  the  surgeons  of  the 
French  Service  de  Sante  a  masked  poilu  kept 
crowds  of  people  guessing  as  to  whether  his 
eyes  were  "real  or  painted." 

What  Mrs.  Ladd  began  for  the  poilu  in 
France  she  did  for  the  doughboy  after  her 
return  to  America,  shortly  after  the  armistice 
was  signed. 

BACK  TO  THE   FARM 

After  supplying  every  known  method  of 
scientific  treatment  to  heal  our  wounded  boys 
in  France,  experts  agreed  that  the  best  cure 
of  all  was  to  put  a  hoe  in  his  hand,  and  turn 
him  loose  to  dig  in  the  vegetable  gardens  at 
the  hospitals. 

At  first  they  rebelled,  just  as  every  Ameri- 
can does  when  he  thinks  somebody  is  trying 
to  make  him  do  something.  Then  suddenly 
they  liked  playing  at  "back  on  the  farm." 

By  October,  191 8,  an  aggregate  of  nearly 
350  acres  was  under  cultivation  at  the  differ- 
ent hospitals.  Over  9,000  hours  of  labor  was 
put  on  these  farms  during  October,  and  over 


70 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


42,000  kilos  of  vegetables  were  raised.  In 
addition  large  crops  of  hay,  oats,  straw,  rye, 
wheat  and  barley  were  produced.  At  an 
expenditure  of  slightly  over  100,000  francs, 
the  Red  Cross  turned  over  to  the  Army  prod- 
uce to  the  value  of  200,000  francs. 

THE   VALUE    OF    MOBILITY 

The  armies  were  not  the  only  forces  in 
the  field  that  had  to  adapt  themselves  to  the 
changing  conditions  of  an  offensive.  With  its 
mobile  laundries,  shower  baths,  electric  light 
plants,  tent  hospitals,  dental  ambulances,  and 
ice  plants  the  Red  Cross  followed  the  khaki 
crowd. 

Tents  had  the  advantage  of  any  other  kind 
of  shelter  because  they  could  be  put  up  and 
taken  down  at  short  notice.  During  the  month 
of  April,  1 91 8,  when  hospital  accommodations 
were  scarce,  a  25-tent  hospital  unit  with  14 
additional    large    tents    was    put    up    on    the 


Steeplechase  grounds  at  Auteuil  by  the  Red 
Cross.  This  hospital  had  connecting  corri- 
dors, wooden  floors,  a  sewer  laid  from  the 
kitchen  and  barracks  to  the  main  sewer,  three 
ranges  in  the  kitchen,  and  electric  lights.  All 
this  was  done  and  patients  were  being  re- 
ceived just  twenty-four  and  a  half  days  after 
instructions  had  been  received  to  proceed  with 
the  work. 

The  ice  made  in  Red  Cross  portable  ice 
plants  cooled  the  fever  and  lessened  the  suf- 
ferings of  an  untold  number  of  sick  boys. 
This  type  of  ice  plant  was  also  most  valuable 
in  the  field. 

Another  treat  the  doughboys  enjoyed  was 
the  shower  baths.  They  were  not  only  re- 
freshing in  themselves,  but  the  disinfecting 
plants  which  usually  accompanied  a  shower 
killed  vermin,  and,  after  putting  on  the  clean 
underwear  given  them,  they  returned  to  the 
trenches  happier  and  healthier.  Burns  from 
mustard  gas  were  reduced,  injuries  prevented, 


Cutting  Up  Zeppelin  Wire 


ID     Broivix    Bros 


Wounded  'Tommies"   at  the  Red  Cross  Gift   House,  Pall   Mall.  London,  making  souvenir  rings, 

brooches,  etc.,  from  the  wire  of  a  fallen  Zeppelin. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


71 


and  in  some  cases  lives  were  saved,  by  these 
showers. 

During  the  Chateau-Thierry  drive,  nine 
portable  showers  were  set  up  just  back  of 
the  lines,  and  in  one  week  seven  thousand 
men  were  brought  from  the  firing  lines, 
bathed,  refitted  and  sent  back  better  fighters. 

Three  hundred  and  twenty-six  American 
soldiers  were  treated  in  the  Red  Cross  Dental 
Ambulance  in  a  period  of  two  months.  This 
miniature  dental  office  on  wheels  was  in 
charge  of  U.  S.  Army  dentists  loaned  to  the 
Red  Cross,  who  pulled  teeth  and  performed 
some  of  the  most  delicate  operations  known 
to  dental  surgery. 

When  each  doughboy  could  only  be  allowed 
enough  laundry  to  give  him  a  clean  shirt,  a 
suit  of  underwear,  two  pairs  of  socks,  three 
handkerchiefs  and  one  towel  every  ten  days, 
something  had  to  be  done.  And  in  France 
the  army  could  only  provide  for  the  washing 
of  men  in  the  fighting  zones  and  hospitals. 
Those  in  the  camps  did  the  best  they  could 
with  their  own  Monday  morning  bundle, 
until  the  Red  Cross  established  stationary 
laundries  and  got  a  number  of  portable  laun- 
dries, which  could  be  sent  anywhere  at  a 
moment's  notice. 


GUESTS    OF       JERRY 

American  boys  who  were  prisoners  in  Ger- 
many could  visualize  their  stay  there,  but 
most  of  them  would  rather  forget.  So  again 
it  is  the  Red  Cross  worker  who  draws  the 
picture.  An  energetic  committee  of  three 
women  from  the  Prisoner's  Bureau  of  the 
Red  Cross  arrived  in  Strassburg,  November 
28th. 

"We  drew  up  in  the  public  square  wonder- 
ing w'here  to  go  first.  A  boy  from  an  ambu- 
lance unit  came  running  up  to  the  car  and 
said,  'Are  you  really  Americans?  I  haven't 
seen  an  American  woman  since  Miss  Mar- 
garet Wilson  rode  through  with  General 
Retain.' 

"He  also  told  us  that  American  prisoners 
were  in  two  hospitals  there,  and  that  one  man 
had  died  the  night  before.  No  one  knew  the 
cause  of  his  death,  as  he  had  acted  as  an 
orderly  for  the  sick  boys  before  he  died  and 
seemed  to  be  in  good  health. 

"Later    they    found,    after    a    post-mortem 


examination,  that  a  piece  of  shrapnel  had 
worked  over  to  the  spinal  cord,  causing  men- 
ingitis. An  operation  in  the  early  stages 
might  have  saved  him. 

"One  boy  met  us  delightedly  at  the  door 
of  the  hospital,  which  was  very  dirty  and 
unpleasant.  It  had  formerly  been  a  school 
and  had  been  taken  over  by  the  Germans 
during  the  war.  The  same  dirty  cooks  fed 
the  sick  of  all  nationalities  who  filled  the  500 
beds.  Provisions  were  scarce.  There  were 
few  drugs  and  only  paper  dressings. 

"Most  of  the  sheets  were  made  of  this 
same  paper  substance  and  they  stood  several 
washings  before  disintegrating,  although  few 
of  them  had  been  put  to  the  test.  One  boy 
had  been  put  into  a  single  bed  with  another 
man  after  a  leg  amputation. 

"Our  guide  opened  another  door  and  called, 
'Boys,  here  are  some  American  women.'  Up 
came  a  dozen  heads  and  one  sang  out,  'Oh, 
it  isn't.'  I  took  their  names  and  addresses 
and  cabled  their  homes. 

"After  the  excitement  had  died  down,  the 
h'st  of  missing  was  scanned  and  the  boys 
supplied  details  of  some  of  their  comrades. 
Then  we  distributed  chocolate  and  cigarettes, 
and  gave  them  the  Red  Cross  boxes  that  had 
been  held  up. 

"Later  we  found  the  graves  of  four  Ameri- 
can soldiers  and  sent  crosses  to  mark  them. 
Pretty  soon  the  boys  were  started  back  to 
France  loaded  down  with  sweaters,  socks, 
gloves,  chocolate,  cigarettes,  and  soup  to  be 
prepared  at  some  cafe  on  the  way.  The  first 
lot  to  go  back  were  five  men  from  Rastatt, 
who  had  slipped  out  at  night  and  walked  the 
thirty  miles  to  Strassburg. 

"Just  at  this  time  a  U.  S.  Army  photog- 
rapher came  along  and  wanted  to  take  their 
picture.  'Look  hungry,  please,'  he  said.  'We 
can't,'  they  answered,  'we  are  safe  in  the 
hands  of  the  Red  Cross.'  " 

The  Red  Cross  established  canteens  along 
the  route  that  straggling  prisoners  from  all 
the  Allied  nations,  and  the  refugees,  took  on 
their  way  back  to  France.  They  were  all 
hungry  and  most  of  them  were  in  tatters.  At 
these  canteens  they  had  every  want  supplied, 
and  after  a  good  night's  rest  continued  their 
journey   thoroughly  refreshed. 

The  Red  Cross  worked  wn'th  the  Graves 
Registration   Committee  of  the  Federal  Gov- 


12 


THE  ARMIES  OF  iMERCY 


ernment,  taking  pictures  of  the  graves  of  those 
who  made  the  Great  Sacriike,  and  duplicates 
were  sent  to  the  families  of  the  slain. 


FOR   AN    IDEAL 

Many  a  member  of  the  American  Expe- 
ditionary Forces  is  being  addressed  as  "Dear 
Godfather"  by  some  French  girl  or  boy  to 
tiiis  day.  I'he  Stars  and  Stripes,  the  official 
newspaper  of  the  bo}'s  in  khaki,  made  an 
appeal  in  IVIarch,  1918,  for  assistance  in  car- 
ing for  French  war  orphans,  and  response 
came  from  everj^  branch  of  the  service. 
Approximately  1,720,000  francs  were  collected 
from  450,000  doughboys  and  officers  in  eleven 
months,  that  3,444  infants  might  have  a 
decent   chance   to  live. 

The  Children's  Bureau  of  the  Red  Cross 
was  called  upon  to  administer  the  funds.  The 
soldiers  and  sailors  were  permitted  to  choose 
their  "mascots,"  as  they  called  them,  as  to 
sex  and  complexion.  When  an  American  sol- 
dier promised  to  "adopt"  a  child,  he  contri- 
buted five  hundred  francs  a  year  towards  its 
support,  but  the  child  did  not  leave  its 
home. 

When  a  certain  baby  in  a  small  French 
village  near  an  American  camp  finally  cut 
that  tooth  the  soldiers  had  been  getting  such 
vivid  reports  about  from  little  sister,  it  is 
said  that  the  entire  regiment,  as  one  man, 
heaved  a  sigh  of  relief. 

In  the  midst  of  the  hottest  fighting  one 
American  sergeant  found  time  to  write  to 
little  Jeanne,  with  whom  he  had  become  very 


friendly,  and  urge  her  to  hold  fast  always  to 
the  ideals  of  that  wonderful  other  Jeanne  of 
France. 

In  the  great  world  war  the  supreme  duty 
of  the  Red  Cross  was  the  American  fighting 
man.  It  supplemented  the  efforts  of  the 
military  authorities  in  caring  for  the  men  in 
camps,  on  the  battlefields  and  in  the  hospitals. 

Ihe  Red  Cross  personnel  was  chosen  from 
the  finest  type  of  American  manhood  and 
womanhood.  It  was  sent  to  the  boys  over- 
seas by  the  people  in  America,  representing  to 
the  soldiers  the  spirit  and  patriotism  of  the 
home  for  which  they  were  fighting. 

In  doing  this  men  and  women  alike  laid 
down  their  lives  under  the  Red  Cross  flag. 
From  June,  191 7,  w^hen  the  organization 
first  arrived  in  France,  to  January,  1 919, 
thirty-two  men  and  seventy-seven  women, 
fifty-five  of  whom  were  nurses  in  the  Army 
and  Navy  Corps,  were  buried  on  foreign  soil. 

Nor  was  the  spirit  of  sacrifice  lacking  in 
those  at  home.  A  broken-hearted  father, 
whose  daughter  rests  in  one  of  those  plots 
cared  for  by  a  grateful  people,  writes: 

"In  all  our  grief  we  carry  with  us  the 
thought  that  we  too  have  been  able  to  bear 
our  share.  Our  daughter  gave  her  life  in  the 
service  as  truly  as  any  boy  who  served  in 
the  trenches,  and  we  are  glad  that  she  was 
able  to  do  so  much  before  her  final  call." 

The  keynote  of  the  Red  Cross  was  service: 
a  service  of  help,  hope,  and  encouragement, 
regardless  of  nation,  sect,  or  creed.  To  this 
service  the  lives  of  Red  Cross  workers  were 
dedicated,  for  they  too  died  for  an  ideal. 


THE  DEAD 
Bv  Dana  Burnet. 


The  dead  they  sleep  so  deep, 
The  dead  they  lie  so  still, 
I  wonder  that  another  man 
May  look  on  them  and  kill. 

The  dead  they  lie  so  pale, 
The  dead  they  stare  so  deep, 
I  wonder  that  an  Emperor 
May  look  on  them  and  sleep. 

Their  hands  are  empty  cups, 
No  dream  is  in  their  hearts. 
Their  eyes  arc  like  deserted  rooms 
From  which  the  guest  departs. 


Ah,  living  men  are  fair, 
Clean-limbed   and  straight  and  strong! 
But  dead  men  lie  like  broken  lutes 
Whose  dying  slays  a  song. 

Oh,  will  there  come  a  time 
Beneath  some  shining  king 
When  we  shall  arm  for  living's  sake, 
And  turn  from  murdering? 

The  dead  they  lie  so  pale. 
So  empty  of  all  breath  — 
I  wonder  that  a  living  world 
Can  make  a  means  of  Death 


RED  CROSS  RELIEF  OF  ALLIED  CIVILIANS 

Through  the  Red  Cross  the  United  States  Renders  More  than  Military 

Assistance 


FROM  the  moment  the  United  States 
entered  the  war  it  was  clear  that,  vast 
as  would  be  the  task  of  the  American  Red 
Cross  in  helping  the  soldiers  and  sailors,  this 
would  be  only  one  phase  of  its  far-flung 
activities  in  the  conflict.  For  nearly  three 
years  Belgium  and  a  large  area  of  France 
had  been  overrun  by  the  Germans,  bringing 
death,  diseases,  starvation  and  general  desti- 
tution to  the  helpless  civilian  populations. 
Similar  conditions  obtained  in  Russia,  Italy 
and  the  Balkans.  England  herself  had  not  es- 
caped the  problems  consequent  upon  this  ruth- 
less devastation,  even  though  the  invader  had 
not  set  foot  in  the  British  Isles.  The  situa- 
tion had  become  one  seriously  menacing  the 
morale  of  the  Allied  populations,  and  it  was 
apparent  that  the  solution  could  only  be  found 
through  the  mighty  efforts  of  a  great  relief 
organization.  Accordingly,  the  American 
Red  Cross  devoted  its  energies  to  relieving  dis- 
tress among  the  millions  of  refugees  and  other 
civilians  in  Allied  countries,  thus  proving  the 
determination  of  the  United  States  and  its 
people  to  give  not  only  military  assistance, 
but  the  spiritual  and  material  aid  so  necessary 
to  morale. 

The  largest  field  for  the  work  thus  under- 
taken by  the  American  Red  Cross  was  in 
•France.  When  the  American  Red  Cross 
Commission  to  France  arrived  in  that  country 
in  June,  191 7,  it  found  that  practically  all 
the  men  of  military  age  were  in  the  army, 
making  munitions,  or  in  other  callings  directly 
connected  with  the  war.  The  normal  eco- 
nomic, industrial,  agricultural,  educational 
and  other  aspects  of  individual  family  and 
community  life  had  to  go  on  as  best  they  could 
under  these  conditions.  Of  the  eighty-six 
departments  into  which  France  is  divided  for 
governmental  purposes,  ten  of  those  in  the 
north  were  partly  in  enemy  hands  and  one 
wholly    invaded.      All    of    these    departments 


had  been  ravaged  by  military  operations  and 
large  areas  had  been  deliberately  devastated 
by  the  Germans  during  their  retreat.  From 
these  invaded  departments  about  1,500,000 
refugees  had  been  scattered  over  the  rest  of 
France,  finding  homes,  food  and  work  as  best 
they  might.  Since  December,  191 6,  over  a 
thousand  repatries,  women,  children  and  old 
people,  had  been  daily  arriving  in  France 
from  Germany  via  Switzerland  and  had  to 
be  provided  with  housing,  food  and  work. 
Hundreds  of  thousands  of  French  soldiers 
had  been  crippled  in  the  fighting,  and,  suffer- 
ing every  degree  of  disability,  must  be  as- 
sisted in  various  ways.  Tuberculosis,  always 
prevalent  in  France,  and  exceptionally  so  in 
certain  districts,  had  increased  alarmingly 
among  the  refugees  and  repatries,  and  there 
was  a  seriously  high  infant  mortality. 

THE    RED    CROSS    TAKES    HOLD 

Immediately  after  the  arrival  of  the  Red 
Cross  Commission,  the  Committee  of  the 
American  Relief  Clearing  House,  which  had 
been  active  in  France  for  some  time,  turned 
over  to  the  Red  Cross  its  complete  organiza- 
tion, equipment  and  personnel,  thereby  sav- 
ing the  organization  many  weeks  of  prepara- 
tory work.  Thus  the  problem,  so  plain  be- 
fore it,  could  be  attacked  by  the  Commission 
without  delay.  Their  first  decision  was  to 
avoid  duplication  of  relief  work  already  in 
progress  by  using  existing  agencies  so  far  as 
possible.  In  addition,  they  created  a  depart- 
ment of  civil  affairs,  the  work  of  which  was 
divided  into  five  sections,  as  follows:  (i)  Aid- 
ing refugees  and  other  displaced  populations 
outside  the  war  zone;  (2)  relief  work  in  the 
devastated  area  and  the  war  zone;  (3)  re- 
education of  crippled  soldiers;  (4)  care  and 
prevention  of  tuberculosis,  and  (5)  children's 
relief.      In  carrying  out  this  programme  the 


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THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


75 


Red  Cross  extended  assistance  to  157  organi- 
zations. 

Red  Cross  effort  in  behalf  of  the  refugees 
got  under  way  in  August,  191 7,  when  the 
most  pressing  need  of  those  in  Paris  was 
proper  housing.  Up  to  that  time  large  num- 
bers of  refugees,  possessing  neither  credit  nor 
furniture,  had  been  forced  to  live  in  cheap, 
insanitary  furnished  lodgings.  During  the 
fall  and  winter  the  Red  Cross,  with  the  co- 
operation of  the  French  authorities,  found 
unfurnished  apartments  for  a  thousand  fam- 
ilies, also  assisting  them  in  gathering  together 
a  few  household  goods. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  German  offen- 
sive in  March,  igi8,  a  new  refugee  popula- 
tion began  pouring  into  Paris  from  the  north. 
The  Red  Cross  helped  receive  wanderers  at 
the  railway  stations,  provided  clothing,  food, 
temporary  shelter  and  necessary  medical  at- 
tention, and  arranged  for  their  transportation 
to  points  further  south. 

Similar  work  was  organized  throughout 
France,  in  spite  of  the  difficulty  of  obtaining 
trained  workers  who  spoke  or  understood  the 
French  language.  International  good  will  and 
the  genuine  sympathy  and  friendship  of  the 
American  people,  together  with  their  simple 
and  straightforward  desire  to  help  share  the 
burden  of  war,  triumphed,  however,  over  all 
obstacles.  Red  Cross  representatives  inter- 
preted to  the  French  the  American  attitude 
toward  the  war  and  toward  France  as  it  could 
have  been  interpreted  in  no  other  way. 

$1,000,000  A  MONTH  FOR  RELIEF  OF  FRENCH 

The  relief  work  thus  carried  on,  always  in 
complete  cooperation  with  the  local  authori- 
ties and  agencies,  steadily  increased  in  volume 
until  the  American  Red  Cross  was  using  in 
its  efforts  for  the  displaced  populations  a 
million  dollars  monthly.  Its  workers  met  the 
trains  of  fleeing  refugees,  saw  that  they  were 
provided  with  some  sort  of  shelter,  clothing, 
food  and  fuel,  and  as  far  as  necessary  estab- 
lished canteens  and  distributing  stations  at 
the  railway  depots. 

The  Red  Cross  workers  built  barracks  for 
the  refugees,  established  families  one  by  one 
in  separate  houses,  provided  furniture  and 
bedding,  helped  pay  rent,  completed  unfin- 
ished  houses,    and   strengthened    in   whatever 


way  possible  the  local  authorities  who  were 
struggling  with  the  problem. 

Conditions  of  health  among  the  refugees 
were  bad  owing  to  the  absence  of  the  major- 
ity of  French  physicians  at  the  front;  hospital 
care  was  in  some  instances  wholly  unobtain- 
able. To  meet  this  situation  the  Red  Cross 
established  many  dispensaries,  primarily  for 
the  refugees,  although  they  did  not  refuse  to 
serve  other  needy  applicants.  To  some  of 
these  were  attached  visiting  nurses  or  medical 
social  workers. 

In  the  war  zone  American  Red  Cross  work 
was  divided  into  the  sending  of  delegates  to 
the  departments  through  which  the  battle  line 
ran,  and  assisting  the  French  population  to 
return  to  devastated  areas  from  which  the 
Germans  had  been  driven,  that  they  might 
cultivate  the  land  and  thus  help  improve 
the  food  situation.  Many  local  warehouses 
were  established,  and  through  these  and  the 
delegates  the  organization  accepted  requests 
for  numerous  kinds  of  assistance.  The  Red 
Cross  also  undertook  direct  repair  work  in 
several  villages  in  the  Department  of  the 
Somme,  which  had  been  made  completely  un- 
inhabitable during  the  Hun  retreat. 

This  work  of  relief  and  provisional  recon- 
struction was  proceeding  with  increasing  mo- 
mentum and  volume  when  the  German  offen- 
sive of  March,  191 8,  began,  and  the  recon- 
structed area  was  again  ov  un.  The  work 
of  the  Red  Cross  delegates  abruptly  changed 
to  emergency  relief  of  the  most  urgent  char- 
acter. Food,  blankets,  clothing,  stores  of  all 
kinds  were  given  the  terrified  '.ihabitants,  who 
were  leaving  as  fast  as  possible,  and  all  trans- 
portation units  had  to  be  utilized,  not  for 
carrying  supplies  into  the  area,  but  for  getting 
people  out  of  it.  Emergency  canteens  were 
established,  and  doctors  and  nurses  looked 
after  refugees  in  temporary  shelters. 

It  was  not  possible,  owing  to  the  chaotic 
conditions,  to  determine  how  many  benefited 
through  Red  Cross  work  for  the  refugees  and 
inhabitants  of  the  war  zone,  but  it  was  esti- 
mated that  over  a  million  received  some  form 
of  relief. 

FIGHTING  THE   WHITE   PLAGUE 

During  the  three  years  of  war,  tuberculosis 
had  gained  abnormal  headway  in  France.  The 


76 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


underfeeding  and  overworking  of  the  civilian 
population  had  enfeebled  their  powers  of 
resistance  to  the  scourge,  while  similar  sus- 
ceptibility developed  among  the  soldiers  from 
their  hardships  in  the  trenches.  In  August, 
1917,  the  American  Red  Cross  entered  into 
cooperation  with  the  Rockefeller  Foundation 
Commission  for  the  Prevention  of  Tubercu- 
losis; and  hospitals,  sanatoria  and  dispen- 
saries, work  upon  some  of  which  had  been 
begun  by  the  French,  were  completed,  and 
new  ones  started. 

The  principal  hospitals  were  at  Lyons, 
Plessis-Robinson,  Bligny,  Tours  and  Paris. 
The  Department  of  Eure-et-Loir  was  selected 
for  the  complete  dispensary'  system  in  the 
fight  against  the  disease,  and  the  Red  Cross, 
cooperating  with  the  Commission,  gave  im- 
portant assistance  to  various  institutions  lo- 
cated at  Chateaudun,  Dreux  and  Chartres, 
donating  money  and  supplying  some  of  the 
physicians.  In  all,  the  Red  Cross  assisted 
847  institutions  having  tubercular  patients, 
30,000  of  whom  were  thus  directly   reached 


and  benefited.  The  work  also  embraced  as- 
sistance to  many  Serbians  who  were  in  France 
and  suffering  from  tuberculosis,  and  wide  edu- 
cational propaganda  against  the  disease  in  all 
parts  of  France. 

CARING    FOR    THE    FRENCH    CHILDREN 

For  three  years  France  had  been  too  busy 
wnth  the  war  to  give  adequate  time,  thought 
and  money  to  the  problems  affecting  child- 
hood, and  this  circumstance  opened  up  a  most 
important  field  for  the  American  Red  Cross, 
in  which  it  was  assisted,  as  in  several  other 
undertakings,  by  efficient  units  of  the  Amer- 
ican Friends'  Society. 

The  ravages  of  three  years  of  war  had  been 
felt  more  by  the  children  than  by  any  other 
non-combatant  element  of  the  French  popu- 
lation. They  were  underfed,  badly  nour- 
ished, insufficiently  clothed.  With  fathers 
dead  or  at  the  front  and  mothers  forced  to 
labor  for  their  daily  bread,  there  had  been  an 
alarming    increase    in    juvenile    delinquency. 


Q     Underwood  and   Underwood. 


Honors  for  a  French  Hero 

A  Red  Cross  nurse  reading  the  last  rites  for  a  dead  French  soldier  in  one  of  the  French  ambulance 


trains. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  IVIERCY 


Institutions  which  in  normal  times  would 
have  combated  these  conditions  were  ham- 
pered by  lack  of  personnel  and  funds,  and  the 
death-rate  was  growing  among  the  little  ones, 
while  the  birth-rate,  which  had  been  sub- 
normal for  some  time,  had  of  course  fallen 
even  lower. 

The  Red  Cross,  in  cooperation  with  other 
agencies,  attacked  this  problem  at  numerous 
points.  Doctors  and  visiting  nurses  put  into 
operation  a  programme  which  reached  directly 
the  children  and  mothers  in  nearly  every  de- 
partment of  France.  These  experts  talked  to 
them  about  their  well-being,  held  clinics,  es- 
tablished hospitals  and  creches  and  gave  ex- 
positions of  child  welfare  work  at  Lyons, 
Marseilles  and  St.  Etienne,  which  were  at- 
tended by  more  than  285,000  persons.  They 
taught  hygiene,  established  dental  dispensa- 
ries, rest-cures,  baths,  convalescent  homes, 
and  contributed  funds  to  institutions  already 
existing. 

Toul  and  Nancy  and  other  cities  of  those 
invaded  parts  of  France  in  which  the  children 
were  often  under  fire  of  the  German  guns, 
were  provided  with  shelters  for  children  and 


their  mothers,  and  at  various  points  mate 
hospitals  were  maintained.  Through  thj 
ral  districts  the  same  work  was  carrie(J"6n" 
by  visiting  nurses.  There  were  centers  for 
clinical  work  at  Lyons,  Blois,  Amiens  and 
many  other  places.  At  Evian,  through  which 
the  repatrics  came  back  from  Germany,  a 
large  hotel  was  converted  into  a  children's 
hospital. 

General  educational  work  for  the  mothers 
of  sick  and  under-nourished  children  proved 
as  necessary  as  medicine  and  food  for  the 
children  themselves,  and  a  separate  depart- 
ment was  established  that  developed  into  a 
most  important  branch  of  the  activities.  Leaf- 
lets, posters  and  motion  pictures  were  em- 
ployed in  the  propaganda,  and  many  French 
women  were  trained  to  assist  in  the  work. 

To  get  children  out  of  the  crowded  cities 
and  to  take  care  of  those  who  were  ailing, 
hospitals  and  dispensaries  were  established  at 
the  Chateau  des  Halles  and  at  La  Chaux, 
near  Lyons,  for  the  children  of  that  city  and 
Paris.  Outside  St.  Etienne,  the  munitions 
manufacturing  center,  a  similar  hospital  was 
established.      The    work    of    removing    chil- 


Conrtesy  of  American  Red  Cross. 


The  American  Hospital  at  Neuilly 


78 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Underwood  and    Unaetwoou. 

General  Pershing  Greeting  Our  Nurses  In  France 

The  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  American  forces  is  talking  to  a  matron  of  one  of  the  U.  S.  Base 

Hospitals. 


dren  from  Paris  proved  particularly  important 
when,  in  addition  to  their  air  raids,  the  Ger- 
mans began  pounding  the  capital  with  their 
super-gun. 

A  summary  of  the  relief  work  among  the 
children  of  France  is  given  in  the  official  re- 
port of  the  Red  Cross,     From  this  it  appears 


that  16,346  cases  were  treated  in  25  hospitals, 
99  dispensaries  and  clinics  were  operated, 
32,000  children  were  served  in  canteens, 
27,000  children  were  taught  to  play,  and 
seven  child-welfare  expositions  were  held 
which  were  attended  by  625,000  persons. 
In    Belgium,   the   Red   Cross   made  grants 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Underwood   and    Underwood. 


American  Red  Cross  Distributing  Cigarettes  to  Russian  Wounded 

Our  brothers  and  sisters  of  mercy  were  to  be  found  in  every  land  before  the  United  States  entered 

This  photograph  was  taken  in  a  hospital  in  Siberia. 


the  war. 

to  nearly  seventy  organizations  carrying  on 
relief  w^ork  for  children.  Children's  colonies 
were  established  in  France,  Switzerland  and 
Holland.  Baby-saving  work  was  conducted 
in  Belgium  and  in  refugee  centers.  Ever}^- 
thing  possible  was  done  to  preserve  the  health 
and  welfare  of  these  children. 

The  Red  Cross  aided  directly  in  evacuat- 
ing some  20,000  children,  placing  8,000  in 
France,  2,000  in  Switzerland  and  10,000  in 
Holland — in  school  colonies,  etc. 

Fifteen  milk  distributing  depots  were  main- 
tained in  unoccupied  Belgium. 

Four  hundred  baby  clothing  outfits  were 
distributed  monthly  to  Belgian  children  in 
France. 

EDUCATION    OF    THE    DISABLED 

When  the  American  Red  Cross  began  its 
work  in  France,  it  was  estimated  that  there 
were  already  300,000  Frenchmen  made  help- 
less by  the  war.  The  organization  was  called 
upon  to  help  these  men,  to  cheer  them  by  ma- 
terial aid,  to  reeducate  them,  if  possible,  in 
new  lines  of  endeavor   in   which   they  could 


earn  a  living  once  more,  and  become  happy  and 
contented,    because   self-supporting. 

In  cooperation  with  the  government  and  69 
French  groups  M^orking  on  the  reeducation  of 
men  crippled  in  the  fighting,  the  Red  Cross 
went  to  work  on  this  programme;  providing 
means  for  increasing  the  number  of  m utiles 
admitted  to  reeducational  schools;  stimulat- 
ing the  development  of  training  courses  for 
mutUcs  in  industries  previously  monopolized 
by  Germany ;  increasing  the  value  of  existing 
training  courses  by  supplying  more  adequate 
equipment;  stimulating  the  mutile's  interest 
in  reeducation  through  organized  propaganda ; 
and  influencing  the  morale  in  reeducational 
schools  by  entertainments  and  lectures.  An 
additional  activity  was  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  a  studio  for  making  portrait 
masks  for  facially  disfigured  soldiers. 

One  of  the  first  suggestions  adopted  was 
the  equipment  of  two  workshops  for  courses 
in  electricity  at  St.  Maurice.  Arrangements 
were  also  made  for  training  crippled  soldiers 
in  watch-making  and  similar  trades,  in  better 
methods  of  farming,  and  in  commercial  pur- 
suits. 


8o 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


The  value  of  these  activities  may  be  judged 
from  the  following  observations  of  a  French- 
nian,  who  had  benefited  through  Red  Cross 
reeducational  work,  when  questioned  about 
his  habitual  cheerfulness: 

"Well,  why  not?  I  eat  and  drink;  I  still 
see  the  sun.  I  shall  be  able  to  earn  my  liv- 
ing, thanks  to  the  American  Red  Cross.  And 
I  have  my  friends.  I  am  alive,  and  not  dead 
— why  should  I  not  be  happy?" 

Important,  also,  was  the  groundwork  thus 
laid,  for  helping  the  American  soldiers  who 
were  later  disabled  in  the  fighting. 

AMERICAN    RED    CROSS    IN    RUSSIA 

The  second  undertaking  of  the  American 
Red  Cross,  looking  to  the  material  support 
and  heartening  of  our  Allies,  was  the  dis- 
patch of  a  special  commission  to  Russia.  In 
spite  of  the  chaotic  condition  of  that  country 
it  was  able  to  relieve  much  of  the  distress. 

When  the  commission  arrived  in  Vladivos- 
tok on  its  way  to  Petrograd,  the  Kerensky 
government  was  still  in  power,  and  its  of- 
ficials,  from   the   premier   down,   offered   and 


gave  the  commission  their  heartiest  support. 
The  commission,  for  its  part,  cooperated  with 
the  Russian  Red  Cross  and  various  other  relief 
agencies. 

One  of  the  first  important  measures  taken 
was  to  provide  milk  for  the  starving  children 
of  Petrograd.  The  commission  found  infant 
mortality  in  the  capital  extremely  high  and 
the  milk  shortage  increasing  alarmingly.  Sup- 
plies of  milk  brought  in  by  the  Red  Cross 
helped  save  the  lives  of  25,000  children,  and 
when  the  commission  was  forced  by  the  ad- 
vance of  the  Germans  to  abandon  Petrograd,  it 
left  behind  a  man  to  carry  on  this  vital  work. 

An  ambulance  unit  of  125  cars  was  sent  to 
Russia  by  the  Red  Cross,  and  huge  quantities 
of  drugs  and  other  medical  necessities  were 
sent  in  by  the  organization  in  an  effort  to 
overcome  the  terrible  situation  brought  about 
among  both  the  troops  and  civilians  by  the 
shortage  of  supplies.  The  commission  as- 
sisted financially  the  families  of  Russian  of- 
ficers who  found  themselves  destitute,  and 
also  extended  relief  to  thousands  of  Russians 
stranded  in  Switzerland  as  the  result  of  the 
revolution,    to    Serbian    refugees    in    Siberia, 


©     L'ltdci'ii'uod  and    Underwood. 


German  and  Russian  Soldiers  Too  Seriously  Wounded  to  Be  Transported 

This  photograph  was  taken  at  Suvalki,  in  Russian  Poland.     The  men  were  in  such  a  condition  that 

it  was  inadvisable  to  move  them  to  the  hospital  centers. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


8i 


and  to  workmen  who  were  employed  in  keep- 
ing open  the  vital  Murmansk  railroad. 

The  increasing  chaos  so  seriously  disrupted 
the  plans  of  the  commission  that  they  left 
Petrograd  in  March,  1918,  but  at  other  points 
relief  work  of  various  kinds,  much  of  it  very 
important,  w'as  still  carried  on.  The  condi- 
tion of  Russian  soldiers  returning  from  Ger- 
man and  Austrian  prison  camps  was  frightful, 
and  more  than  $1,500,000  was  appropriated 
to  bring  in  food,  drugs  and  soap  for  these 
wretched  men. 

All  the  while  the  field  of  Red  Cross  en- 
deavor was  growing  in  Siberia.  The  Czecho- 
slovaks were  making  their  wonderful  drive 
across  that  country,  and  in  addition  to  provid- 
ing hospitals,  doctors,  nurses  and  medical 
equipment  and  supplies  for  their  sick  and 
wounded,  the  Red  Cross  extended  relief  to 
the  refugees  fleeing  from  their  homes  before 
the  fighting.  Hospital  trains  were  rushed  in 
by  the  Red  Cross  to  combat  the  spread  of 
the  serious  epidemics  that  broke  out  in  the 
interior.  The  Red  Cross  assisted  in  the  res- 
cue of  victims  of  the  terrible  "death  trains," 
that  wandered  through  Siberia  freighted  with 
dead  and  dying  prisoners,  and  in  the  efforts 
to  rescue  the  thousands  of  Russian  children 
abandoned  in  the  Urals  after  being  taken  out 
of  the  cities  to  escape  starvation. 

AMERICAN  RED  CROSS  IN  ENGLAND 

The  bulk  of  American  Red  Cross  work  in 
England  was  directly  for  the  American  sol- 
diers and  sailors  passing  through  or  stationed 
there,  but  the  organization  was  active  in  nu- 
merous directions  for  the  civilian  population, 
principally  through  donations.  Before  June 
30,  191 8,  it  gave  the  British  Red  Cross  and 
other  relief  agencies  nearly  $2,500,000,  while 
for  the  six  months  of  the  armistice  a  slightly 
larger  amount  was  appropriated.  In  addition 
to  gifts  to  the  London  hospitals  in  apprecia- 
tion of  their  care  of  American  sick  and 
wounded,  and  the  maintenance  of  maternity 
and  child  welfare  centers,  the  American  Red 
Cross  assisted  in  the  care  of  British  children 
suffering  from  shell-shock  as  the  result  of 
German  air  raids.  In  its  workshops,  where 
surgical  dressings  and  other  articles  were 
turned  out,  employment  was  given  women 
who  had  suffered  financial  losses  through  the 


war,  and  it  looked  after  British  dependents  of 
American  fighting  men. 

HELP    FOR    THE    BELGIANS 

With  600,000  Belgians  scattered  through 
England,  France,  Holland  and  Switzerland, 
American  Red  Cross  relief  for  the  people  of 
the  little  kingdom  that  felt  the  first  full  force 
of  the  Hun  assault  upon  civilization  knew  no 
geographical  limits.  The  refugees  driven  out 
of  Belgium  during  the  early  months  of  the 
war  had  become  somewhat  settled  in  the  com- 
munities where  they  had  found  harborage, 
and  were  largely  able  to  care  for  themselves, 
but  the  military  operations  in  the  spring  of 
1918  drove  additional  thousands  from  their 
homes.  Accordingly  the  American  Red  Cross 
Commission  to  Belgium  was  able,  especially 
along  the  Flanders  front,  to  be  of  much  serv- 
ice in  easing  the  distress  and  hardship  incident 
to  the  hurried  evacuations.  Large  motor 
trucks  worked  at  top  speed  night  and  day 
carrying  refugees  from  places  of  danger  to 
railroad  stations.  Ambulances  carried  the 
sick  and  infirm,  and  food  and  clothing  were 
supplied  at  the  assembling  points  and  at  clear- 
ing houses  near  the  front. 

To  meet  emergencies  the  Red  Cross  sup- 
plied funds  to  the  official  committee  for  refu- 
gees at  Havre,  aided  in  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  nine  hospitals  for  civilians, 
and  helped  reestablish  hospitals  bombed  by 
the  Germans.  The  organization  constructed 
a  village  of  fifty  cottages  near  Havre  for 
refugee  families,  cooperated  with  the  Belgian 
authorities  in  the  operation  of  a  Belgian  folk- 
house  in  London,  which  organized  twenty- 
six  activities,  including  clubs,  employment  bu- 
reaus and  insurance  against  illness,  aided  tu- 
bercular Belgians  in  Holland,  and  provided 
sewing  machines  for  the  wives  of  Belgian 
soldiers  in  England. 

One  of  the  deepest  tragedies  of  the  war  was 
its  effect  on  the  children  of  Belgium,  and 
throughout  its  activities  for  the  martyr  coun- 
try the  Red  Cross  strove  in  many  ways  to 
help  these  tiny  victims  of  the  Hun.  In  its 
work  for  the  children  the  Red  Cross  Commis- 
sion worked  with  Queen  Elizabeth  of  Bel- 
gium and  with  private  agencies  in  seventy-five 
Belgian  colonies  in  France,  free  Belgium, 
Switzerland,    Holland   and    England.      Alto- 


82 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


gether  In  these  colonies  there  were  20,000 
children. 

The  care  of  children  from  occupied  Bel- 
gium likewise  was  undertaken  by  the  Com- 
mission for  Belgium.  In  1916  the  Rockefeller 
Foundation  undertook  the  support  of  500  of 
these  children  and  later  the  supervision  of 
this  effort,  by  arrangement  with  the  Founda- 
tion, was  assumed  by  the  Red  Cross,  which 
also  extended  its  work  to  Switzerland,  and 
to  the  practical  support  of  the  Belgian  chil- 
dren not  included  in  the  Foundation's  group 
of  colonies. 

For  Queen  Elizabeth  the  Red  Cross  built 
a  babies'  pavilion  at  Vinken  to  take  care  of 
a  hundred  babies  who  could  not  be  taken 
into  France,  and  at  Havre  the  organization 
established  a  health  center,  directed  by  child- 
specialists,  with  hospitals,  dispensaries,  a  clinic 
and  a  maternity  hospital  with  children's  shel- 
ter. 

Other  Red  Cross  activities  for  Belgian  chil- 
dren included:  Taking  10,000  children  to 
Holland     where     thev     could     regain     their 


strength,  and  assisting  agencies  in  Hol- 
land that  were  active  in  behalf  of  Bel- 
gian children,  including  the  support  of  150 
little  Belgians  formerly  cared  for  by  Dutch 
families;  establishment  of  a  system  of  milk 
distribution  through  fifteen  centers  for  sick 
babies  in  free  Belgium,  and  supplying  cows  to 
the  colonies  of  Belgian  children ;  establishment 
of  day  nurseries  and  barracks  for  refugees. 
After  the  armistice  the  Red  Cross  was  ac- 
tive in  the  work  of  returning  the  scattered 
children  of  Belgium  to  their  families  and 
homes. 

THE   RED   CROSS   IN    ITALY 

The  American  Red  Cross  entered  Italy  at 
one  of  the  most  critical  periods  of  the  war, 
when  the  Germans  were  forcing  the  Italian 
army  back  to  the  Piave.  Its  prompt  measures 
in  behalf  of  the  sorely-tried  troops  did  much 
to  restore  the  army's  morale,  but  the  relief 
measures  it  carried  out  for  the  distressed  civil- 
ian population  were  of  equal  value  in  main- 
taining morale  behind  the  fighting  lines. 


Underivood  and   Underwood. 


British  Hospitals  Bombarded  by  the  Germans 

An  aerial  photograph  taken  by  a  British  Royal  Air  Force  pilot,  showing  the  remains  of  four  huts 
in  which  a  number  of  the  wounded  were  blown  to  bits.   There  were  fourteen  large  Red  Crosses  dis- 
tinctly painted  on  these  huts, 

VII— 6 


Courtesy  Red  Cross  Magazine. 


American  Red  Cross  in  Italy 


The  work  of  the  American  Red  Cross  in  Italy  is  a   chapter  in    itself,  as  the  above  map  of  its  extensive  operations 

indicates. 


84 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


The  most  urgent  civilian  problem  attacked 
was  the  relief  of  refugees  from  the  occupied 
district  of  northern  Italy.  For  this  helpless 
half  million  of  people  the  Red  Cross  estab- 
lished a  chain  of  railway  canteens,  rest-rooms, 
and  nurseries.  With  the  refugees  succored, 
the  Red  Cross  turned  its  attention  to  the 
needy  families  of  soldiers,  of  whom  there  were 
thousands.  The  most  effective  method  was 
found  to  be  providing  work  for  the  wife  or 
older  children,  and  forty-three  workrooms 
were  opened  to  enable  soldiers'  families  to  be- 
come self-supporting,  at  the  same  time  turning 
out  needed  relief  material.  In  connection 
with  this  work  nurseries  were  established  for 
the  care  of  children  whose  mothers  were  em- 
ployed. The  Red  Cross  also  conducted  a 
campaign   against   tuberculosis. 

More  than  forty  kitchens  for  poor  civilians 
were  operated  throughout  Italy  by  the  Red 
Cross,  which  extended  direct  financial  as- 
sistance to  the  families  of  318,200  Italian 
soldiers.  Just  outside  Pisa  a  village  of  91 
buildings,  including  dwellings,  school,  public 
bath,  hospital,  laundry  and  shops,  was  built 
by  the  Red  Cross  for  2,000  Venetian  refu- 
gees. 

IN   THE   BALKANS 

Throughout  the  Balkans  the  American  Red 
Cross  found  a  field  badly  in  need  of  the  as- 
sistance it  could  bring,  and  it  carried  on  ex- 
tensive operations  in  Rumania,  Greece,  and 
Serbia. 

The  Red  Cross  Commission  to  Rumania 
arrived  in  September,  191 7,  when  all  that  was 
left  of  the  once  prosperous  nation  was  the 
sterile,  mountainous  province  of  Moldavia,  in 
which  were  huddled,  panic-stricken  and  ex- 
hausted, those  that  remained  of  the  popula- 
tion. The  available  supplies  of  food,  cloth- 
ing and  medicines  were  negligible.  Typhus, 
pneumonia  and  cholera  were  epidemic,  and 
the  condition  of  the  refugees  was  generally 
pitiful. 

Its  personnel  including  a  staff  of  doctors 
and  nurses  and  limited  medical  supplies,  the 
Commission  lost  no  time  in  undertaking  vari- 
ous forms  of  relief.  Two  hospitals  and  an 
orphanage  were  taken  over  and  operated,  and 
In  three  districts  40,000  persons  were  fed 
daily.  Red  Cross  workers  succeeded,  in  spite 
.of  many   difficulties,   in  bringing   in   supplies 


from  Russia,  these  including  sorely-needed 
serums  and  vaccines  with  which  to  combat  the 
epidemics.  When  the  Russian  debacle  forced 
Rumania  to  make  peace  with  Germany,  the 
Commission  had  no  course  but  to  withdraw, 
but  left  food  and  drugs  sufficient  to  supply 
2,000  people  for  three  months. 

The  American  Red  Cross  had  been  in  touch 
with  Serbian  relief  problems  ever  since  the 
typhus  commission  went  to  that  country  in 
the  winter  of  1914-15,  and  in  August,  1917,  a 
special  commission  was  ordered  to  that  coun- 
try. It  found  50,000  old  men,  women  and 
children  penned  up  in  the  narrow  strip  of 
territory  along  the  Greek  border,  which  was 
all  that  remained  of  free  Serbia.  Emergency 
food  supplies  were  reaching  these  people  from 
other  sources,  and  it  was  decided  that  the 
most  valuable  assistance  would  be  rendered 
by  bringing  in  agricultural  implements  and 
seeds  that  would  permit  those  who  remained 
in  Serbia  to  cultivate  their  land  and  thus  les- 
sen the  amount  of  food  that  would  have  to  be 
imported. 

Among  the  Serb  refugees  in  northern 
Greece  the  Red  Cross  distributed  large  quan- 
tities of  clothing,  food  and  medicines,  hospi- 
tals were  established  or  assisted,  and  adobe 
shelters  were  provided  for  the  homeless. 

Later  in  the  war  the  Red  Cross  sent  a 
separate  commission  to  Greece  to  help  the 
Greeks  who  were  victims  of  the  Bulgarian 
occupation  of  Macedonia.  When  Bulgaria 
quit,  Red  Cross  workers  assisted  in  locating 
Greeks  who  had  been  deported  into  Bulgaria 
and  helped  return  them  to  their  homes,  at 
the  same  time  rendering  signal  service  in  the 
fight  against  typhus,  cholera  and  the  effects 
of  the  terrible  treatment  the  Greeks  had  re- 
ceived at  the  hands  of  the  Bulgars.  Some  of 
the  Red  Cross  workers  themselves  fell  vic- 
tims to  the  epidemics  they  were  fighting,  and 
several  received  high  honors  from  the  Greek 
government  in  recognition  of  their  services. 

THE   WORK   IN    PALESTINE 

Until  the  British  began  their  advance  into 
Palestine,  it  was  not  possible  for  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  to  offer  direct  relief  to  the 
thousands  oppressed  and  persecuted  by  the 
Tufks  throughout  that  region.  The  organi- 
zation had  contributed  $3,900,000  to  the  work 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


85 


of  the  American  Committee  for  Armenian 
and  Syrian  Relief,  and  in  March,  19 19,  sent 
to  Palestine  a  commission  of  nearly  sixty  doc- 
tors, nurses  and  sanitary^  engineers,  who  car- 
ried with  them  300  tons  of  food,  medical  and 
sanitary  supplies.  A  general  dispensary  and 
children's  clinic  was  established  in  Jerusalem, 
as  was  a  hospital,  while  at  the  request  of  the 
government  two  orphan  asylums  were  taken 
over.  Industrial  service  work  was  also  begun 
on  a  large  scale,  700  women  being  employed 
in  weaving,  knitting  and  sewing.  Later  the 
work  was  extended  to  Jaffa  and  other  points. 

OTHER  ACTIVITIES 

Various  minor  relief  operations  were  car- 
ried on  by  the  American  Red  Cross  during  the 
war,  among  them  being  activities  in  Poland, 


where  there  was  the  greatest  distress,  to  which 
a  commission  was  dispatched  after  the  armis- 
tice. A  donation  of  $500,000  was  made  to 
the  Canadian  Red  Cross,  and  work  was  ex- 
tended to  the  Azores  and  Madeira  Islands  and 
Portugal.  Prominent  among  reliefs  for  dis- 
asters were  the  medical  and  nursing  service 
and  supplies  given  during  the  influenza  epi- 
demic, emergency  relief  when  Halifax  was 
devastated  by  an  explosion,  and  relief  in  the 
China  floods  of  1917. 

The  work  of  the  organization  for  the  af- 
flicted in  many  lands  did  not  cease  until  long 
after  the  conclusion  of  hostilities,  and  in  the 
meantime  the  American  Red  Cross  played 
the  leading  part  in  organizing  the  League  of 
Red  Cross  Societies,  formed  to  prevent  and 
relieve  disease  and  distress  throughout  the 
world  on  a  scale  never  before  attempted. 


AMERICA'S  SPONTANEOUS  ANSWER 

History  of  Some  of  the  Organizations  that  Arose  in  the  Time  of  Need 


HERBERT  C.  HOOVER  was  the  pio- 
neer of  American  Relief  during  the 
World  War.  His  work  for  the  Belgians 
will  never  be  forgotten,  and  it  is  thanks  to 
him  that  many  of  them  are  alive  today.  What 
he  did,  and  how,  is  told  in  other  chapters  of 
this  volume.  What  he  inspired,  and  the  spon- 
taneous answer  of  the  American  people  to 
the  need  of  our  Allies,  long  before  we  entered 
the  conflict,  is  told  herein.  There  must,  of 
necessity,  be  omissions.  When  every  man  and 
woman  in  America,  when  every  village  and 
town,  was  doing  its  uttermost  to  help,  it 
would  be  beyond  the  compass  of  any  volume 
to  include  each  community's  effort. 

War  Relief  for  the  Allies,  in  America,  was 
inaugurated  by  two  American  women,  Mrs. 
William  Astor  Chanler  and  Miss  Emily 
Sloane,  now  the  Baronne  de  la  Grange.  It 
was  shortly  after  the  activities  for  the  relief 
of  invaded  Belgium  were  started  that  relief 
work  for  the  French  soldiers  in  the  trenches 
was  begun  in  America,  and,  to  be  more  spe- 
cific, in  New  York  City.  When  war  was 
declared  Mrs.  Chanler  and  Miss  Sloane  were 


in  France.  They  sailed  for  America  in  the 
late  summer  of  1914,  and  it  was  while  cross- 
ing the  ocean  that  they  discussed  the  manner 
in  which  some  service  might  be  rendered  to 
France  to  meet  the  needs  created  there  even 
by  early  war  conditions.  The  result  was  the 
formation  of  the  Lafayette  Fund,  the  purpose 
of  which  was  to  send  comfort  kits  to  the 
French  soldiers,  then  inadequately  equipped  to 
withstand  the  hardships  and  exposure  of  the 
icy  trenches  and  freezing  weather.  This 
Committee  was  really  the  pioneer  of  War 
Relief  organizations  in  America.  It  was  or- 
ganized and  working  in  the  fall  of  191 4. 
The  French  Line,  through  its  Director 
General  in  America,  carried  free  of  all  cost 
to  France  kits  containing  articles  of  necessity, 
such  as  underwear,  gloves,  mufflers,  soap,  pen- 
cils, paper,  etc.,  which  were  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  French  soldiers.  These  kits 
were  sorely  needed  and  welcomed,  for,  in  the 
face  of  Germany's  sudden  invasion,  the  com- 
fort of  the  men  in  the  trenches  could  not  re- 
ceive proper  attention  amid  the  overwhelming 
responsibilities  and  demands  suddenly  hurled 


John  Moffat,  C.B.E. 

Efficient  chairman   of   the  American  War   Relief  Committee,  which  he  placed  on  a  systematic  and 

efficient  basis, 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


87 


upon  France.  Mrs.  Chanler  and  Miss  Sloane 
most  happily  decided  upon  the  name  "Lafay- 
ette Fund"  for  their  organization.  If  Amer- 
ica was  to  show  her  loyalty  and  love  for 
France  in  France's  time  of  need,  what  more 
appropriate  "than  to  give  to  the  organization 
the  name  of  Lafayette?  The  Lafayette  Fund 
continued  its  activities  to  the  end  of  the  war, 
although  the  need  for  its  existence  diminished 
as  the  French  government  had  time  more 
properly  and  completely  to  equip  its  fighting 


men. 


Relief  committees  sprang  up  all  over  the 
country.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
United  States  of  America  was  then  neutral. 
The  majority  of  these  committees  were  in- 
spired by  the  best  of  intentions,  and  many  of 
them  rendered  valuable  service  to  the  Allies; 
but  with  inexperienced  men  and  women,  al- 
though working  hard  and  doing  their  best,  it 
was  only  natural  tha*:  confusion  and  wasted 
ef!fort  should  result.  To  John  Moffat,  more 
than  any  other  one  person,  must  be  given 
the  credit  of  bringing  order  out  of  chaos;  it 
was  he  who  placed  American  War  Relief 
on  a  systematic  and  efficient  footing. 

In  London  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  Mr. 
Moiifat  volunteered  for  military  service  in  the 
British  army.  He  was  rejected.  Determined 
to  do  his  "bit,"  he  placed  himself  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  government  for  any  service  that 
might  be  designated.  A  world  traveler,  who 
was  familiar  with  America  and  Americans, 
it  was  decided  that  he  could  best  serve  his 
government  and  the  cause  of  the  Allies  by 
coming  here.  Mr.  Moffat  reached  New  York 
in  the  summer  of  191 4.  Four  times  deco- 
rated ;  by  France  as  a  Chevalier  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor  and  with  the  Medaille  d'Academie, 
by  King  Albert  of  Belgium  with  the  gold 
cross  and  title  of  Commander  of  the  Order 
of  Leopold  II,  and  by  King  George  of  Eng- 
land as  Commander  of  the  Order  of  the 
British  Empire,  the  recognition  received  by 
Mr.  Moffat  from  these  governments  is  the 
best  proof  of  the  value  of  the  service  he  ren- 
dered. 

Mr.  Moffat  arrived  in  New  York  as  the 
American  representative  of  the  American 
Women's  War  Relief  Fund,  and  his  first 
activities  here  were  on  its  behalf.  He  event- 
ually raised  by  his  personal  efforts  something 
like  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.     It  should 


be  known  that  these  American  funds  and  the 
efforts  of  these  American  women  in  England 
not  only  contributed  to  the  comfort  and  sav- 
ing the  lives  of  many  disabled  Britishers,  but 
the  lives  of  those  of  other  Allied  nations. 

Mr.  Moffat  organized  in  New  York  City, 
in  August,  1 9 14,  the  Committee  of  Mercy. 
This  was  an  organization  to  give  aid  to  the 
non-combatants  in  Europe,  and  was  one  of 
the  few  War  Relief  Committees  to  receive 
the  indorsement  of  President  Wilson.  Asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Moffat  in  forming  this  com- 
mittee were  Elihu  Root  as  honorary  president, 
and   August    Belmont   as   treasurer. 

It  was  nearly  a  year  later,  July,  1915,  that 
the  National  Allied  Relief  Committee  came 
into  being.  Experience  had  shown  that  the 
many  groups  working  for  the  Allies,  some 
effectively  and  others  aimlessly,  had  tended 
to  bring  about  confusion  and  had  resulted  in 
wasted  effort.  The  National  Allied  Relief 
Committee  was  designed  to  straighten  things 
out,  to  prevent  the  duplication  of  appeals,  to 
segregate  many  committees  under  one  parental 
body,  that  one  overhead  charge  might  serve  for 
many,  and  that  effort  might  not  be  duplicated 
and  therefore  rendered  useless. 

In  1 91 5  a  most  valuable  alliance  was 
formed  with  the  War  Relief  Clearing  House 
for  France  and  Her  Allies.  The  Na- 
tional Allied  Relief  Committee  established  a 
close  working  arrangement  with  the  Clearing 
House  here,  receiving  first-hand  and  thorough- 
ly authentic  information  of  conditions  abroad, 
making  the  same  known  to  the  American  peo- 
ple in  appeals  for  funds,  and  turning  these 
funds  over  to  the  Clearing  House,  which 
cabled  them  to  France.  This  arrangement 
resulted  in  millions  of  persons  being  relieved 
of  distress  and  suffering,  and  in  the  saving 
of  an  incalculable  number  of  lives.  An  illus- 
tration of  what  the  arrangement  meant  is 
found  in  an  appeal  that  was  made  for  the 
defenders  of  Verdun.  We  know  that  while 
it  cost  the  Germans  half  a  million  lives  in 
their  futile  attempts  to  take  Verdun,  France 
had  to  give  six  hundred  thousand  men  in 
killed  and  wounded.  Such  a  battle  left  many 
sufferers.  The  conditions  and  needs  were 
made  known  to  Americans  through  circulars 
issued  by  the  National  Allied  Relief  Commit- 
tee, with  the  result  that  in  a  few  weeks  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  had  been  collected 


88 


THE  ARMIES  OF  ]\IERCY 


©      U ndcr'uax),!    una    i  luicr-H'oua. 

Germans  Bringing  In  Their  Wounded 

By  slinging  their  waterproof  covering  over   a 
branch  they  formed  a  hammock  which  served  as 
a  stretcher. 

and  cabled  to  F'-'^ce,  to  be  used  for  Verdun's 
defenders  and  victims. 

The  Allied  Relief  Committee,  since  its  in- 
ception, was  always  prepared  for  sudden 
emergencies  and  serious  conditions.  In  the 
early  part  of  the  war,  when  the  Serbians  were 
fleeing  for  their  lives  and  the  French  and 
British  governments  were  making  heroic  ef- 
forts to  rescue  and  care  for  the  refugees,  the 
National  Allied  Relief  Committee  issued  an 
appeal  which  netted  thousands  of  dollars.  The 
money  aided  in  succoring  the  wretched  Ser- 
bians and  in  transferring  them  to  the  Island 
of  Corfu.  Again,  in  the  early  stages  of  the 
career  of  the  American  Committee  for  Ar- 
menian and  Syrian  Relief,  the  National  Allied 
Relief  Committee  issued  appeals  which  re- 
sulted in  thousands  of  dollars  being  turned 
over  to  aid  the  Armenians.  Still  another  in- 
stance was  the  activity  of  this  Committee  for 
disabled  Scottish  soldiers,  and  for  destitute 
widows  and  orphans  of  the  Highlanders  killed 
while  fighting  for  the  Allies.  Before  Russia's 
collapse,  Mr.  Mof¥at  used  the  strength  and  ef- 
ficiency of  his  organization  to  aid  that  coun- 
try. Dr.  Philip  Newton,  an  American  sur- 
geon who  worked  with  the  Russian  Army  on 
the  fighting  front,  came  to  America  in  the 
spring  of  191 6  to  secure,  if  possible,  motor 
ambulances  for  use  on  the  battle  front. 

One  of  the  most  necessary  works  in  Amer- 


ica was  that  for  the  relief  of  Belgians  held 
prisoners  in  Germany.  Lady  Lowther  was 
the  organizer  and  head  of  this  Committee  in 
London.  Mr.  Moffat  became  the  head  of 
the  American  Committee  for  the  Relief  of 
Belgian  Prisoners  in  Germany,  of  which  the 
Honorable  E.  de  Cartier,  Belgian  Minister  to 
the  United  States,  was  the  Honorary  Presi- 
dent. 

War  Relief  work  in  America  pursued  the 
policy,  first,  of  relieving  distress,  and  next 
of  doing  everything  possible  to  make  people 
independent  and  useful.  Belgian  refugees 
were  supplied  with  yarn  and  machines.  They 
turned  out  needed  knitted  garments  for  the 
soldiers  at  the  front.  Still  another  useful 
work  was  the  establishment  in  England  of 
a  home  for  women  munition  workers  broken 
in  health  from  their  arduous  duties,  or  in- 
jured in  the  performance  of  their  hazardous 
tasks.  There  was  a  special  committee,  organ- 
ized in  Boston,  which  sought  to  supply  arti- 


©     Undeiu'uod  and    Underwood. 


A   Contribution   to  the   Lafayette   Fund 

Each  kit  contained  woolen  gloves,  socks,  under- 
wear, muffler,  handkerchief  and  soap. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


89 


©      L'lidcricood   and    Underwood. 


The  Home  of  the  Duke  of  Westminster 

Which,  like  many  other  estates  of  British  peers,  was  given  over  by  him  during  the  war  for  use  as 

a  Hospital  for  the  wounded  British  fighters. 


ficial  limbs  to  Allied  soldiers  who  had  been 
maimed  in  battle.  Material  aid  was  given  to 
the  American  Fund  for  French  Wounded, 
an  organization  which  supplied  sorely  needed 
articles  of  comfort  and  necessity  to  the  many 
small  military  hospitals  of  France,  which  in 
the  early  years  of  the  war,  because  of  terrible 
conditions,  were  conducted  in  a  dishearten- 
ingly  inadequate  w^ay.  There  was  another 
committee  for  the  purpose  of  securing  funds 
to  aid  the  relief  work  of  Queen  Elizabeth  of 
the  Belgians. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  War  Charities 
that  covered  all  the  Allied  countries  and  many 
phases  of  suffering  and  wretchedness.  Some 
of    the   committees   were   large,   some   small ; 


some  purely  local,  some  country-w-ide  in 
scope.  The  National  Allied  Committee, 
from  its  general  fund,  bore  the  expenses  of 
numerous  circularizations,  turning  over  in- 
tact to  other  committees  the  results  of  appeals. 
In  the  spring  of  191 7  the  necessity  for 
lessening  the  number  of  relief  committees 
became  apparent,  so  that  their  efforts  might 
be  more  highly  focussed.  The  National  Al- 
lied Relief  Committee  amalgamated  w'ith  it- 
self a  large  proportion  of  the  Committees  that 
had  been  working  in  cooperation  with  it,  and 
the  central  body  was  then  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York.  The 
French  Heroes'  Fund  had  been  incorporated 
in   December,    191 7,   under  the  name  of  the 


90 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     Geesford. 

Judge  Robert  S.  Lovett 
An  active  and  efficient  Red  Cross  worker. 

French  Heroes  Lafayette  Memorial  Fund. 
These  two  organizations  worked  together 
closely.  At  their  headquarters  were  estab- 
lished a  printing  plant,  file  room,  mailing  de- 
partment and  other  equipment  necessary  to 
the  handling  of  a  large  correspondence. 

Tried  and  proven  by  the  war,  the  organiza- 
tion is  on  a  permanent  footing  and  its  work 
will  continue. 

BENEFITS 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  were 
raised  for  Allied  War  Relief  by  means  of 
entertainments,  bazaars  and  spectacles,  the  re- 
ceipts therefrom  going  to  aid  w^ar  sufferers  in 
Allied  countries.  The  first  of  these  w^as  the 
Allied  Bazaar,  held  at  the  Grand  Central 
Palace,  New  York,  in  June,  1916.  Mr.  Mof- 
fat conceived  the  idea  of  this  bazaar  and  se- 
cured the  indorsement  of  the  National  Allied 


Relief  Committee  for  the  undertaking,  then 
interested  the  War  Relief  Clearing  House, 
through  the  efforts  of  Clyde  A.  Pratt,  Execu- 
tive Secretary  of  the  Clearing  House.  Mr. 
Moffat  and  Mr.  Pratt  then  interested  the 
Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium,  with  the 
result  that  the  strong  partnership  of  these 
three  organizations  was  formed  to  conduct 
the  bazaar.  It  was  a  successful  undertaking 
in  every  way,  and  in  less  than  three  weeks 
$484,826.27  was  cleared  for  war  relief.  In 
December  of  the  same  year  an  Allied  Bazaar 
was  conducted  in  Boston  by  the  National 
Allied  Relief  Committee,  both  the  New  York 
and  Massachusetts  Committees  participating. 
This  bazaar  netted  $459,339.29.  In  June, 
191 7,  a  similar  bazaar  was  held  in  Chicago 
and  netted  $539,293-37- 

The  greatest,  however,  of  all  these  under- 
takings was  Hero  Land,  conducted  for  nine- 
teen da3S  in  November  and  December,  191 7, 
at  Grand  Central  Palace,  New  York.  All 
of  the  Allied  governments  were  represented. 
Four  floors  and  the  basement  of  this  tre- 
mendous building,  as  w'ell  as  a  space  outside, 
making  in  all  some  two  hundred  thousand 
square  feet,  were  utilized  at  Hero  Land. 
There  was  an  attendance  of  more  than  half 
a  million  persons,  and  the  profit,  after  pay- 
ment of  all  expenses,  was  $610,466.36. 

THE  AMERICAN  RED  CROSS 

When  the  United  States  entered  the  war 
there  was  some  talk  of  all  war  relief  organ- 
izations being  merged  into  the  American  Red 
Cross.  It  was  felt,  however,  that  the  hun- 
dreds of  organizations  which  had  worked  so 
faithfully  and  effectively  for  the  Allies  should 
not  be  made  to  lose  their  identity.  Confer- 
ences were  brought  about  with  Judge  Robert 
S.  Lovett,  representing  the  Red  Cross,  and 
Mr.  Moffat,  representing  the  individual  or- 
ganizations, which  resulted  in  a  harmonious 
arrangement  with  the  Red  Cross. 

THE   NATIONAL  ALLIED   RELIEF  COMMITTEE 

The  National  Allied  Relief  Committee 
sought  to  render  relief  in  all  possible  ways 
when  and  wherever  possible  in  the  Allied 
countries  or  in  countries  aligned  with  the 
Allies'  cause.     It  extended  aid  in  practically 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


91 


all  of  these  lands  from  Britain  to  Poland, 
from  Belgium  to  Greece,  and,  in  certain  in- 
stances, through  the  American  Red  Cross,  the 
British  Red  Cross,  the  Italian  Red  Cross,  the 
Italian  Ambassador  to  the  United  States,  the 
Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium,  etc.  It 
is  worthy  of  repetition  that  this  Committee 
was  largely  responsible  for  the  series  of  Allied 
Bazaars  held  in  America,  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  practically  every  war  relief  organization 
in  this  country  benefited  materially  from  these 
affairs. 

Herewith  is  given  a  partial  list  of  the 
organizations  that  were  aided,  with  a  brief 
reference  to  each : 


$1.50  per  day,  and  the  number  of  beds  was 
eventually  increased  to  251. 

Near  the  close  of  1916,  an  offer  was  made 
to  the  War  Office  to  equip  and  maintain  a 
hospital  of  forty-four  beds  for  officers  in  Lon- 
don. The  offer  was  accepted,  and  on  March 
21,  19 1 6,  at  98  and  99  Lancaster  Gate,  the 
hospital  was  formally  opened  by  American 
Ambassador  and  Mrs.  Page.  One  week  later 
the  first  patients  were  received.  This  hospital 
was  conducted  on  the  same  high  and  efficient 
plan  employed  at  Paignton.  Not  only  were 
the  two  the  means  of  saving  many  lives,  but 
both  achieved  a  valuable  development  of 
surgery. 


AMERICAN    WOMEN  S    WAR    RELIEF    FUND 

The  American  Women's  War  Relief  Fund 
was  the  result  of  a  desire  on  the  part  of 
American  women  married  to  Britons  and  resi- 
dent in  England,  to  express  their  sympathy 
for  Great  Britain  and  most  effectively  help 
their  country  in  the  war.  Active  in  the  work 
were  Lady  Paget,  Lady  Harcourt,  Lady 
Henry,  the  Duchess  of  Marlborough,  Mrs. 
Whitelaw  Reid,  Mrs.  Herbert  C,  Hoover 
and  others.  Their  activities  began  immedi- 
ately after  war  was  declared  by  Great  Brit- 
ain. 

The  Committee  first  sent  seven  motor  am- 
bulances to  the  fighting  front  in  France,  one 
being  given  by  "Friends  In  Boston,  U.  S.  A." 
On  August  21,  19 14,  the  offer  to  equip  a 
surgical  hospital  of  200  beds  at  Oldway 
House,  Paignton,  South  Devon,  was  ac- 
cepted by  the  War  Office.  The  residence 
was  supplied  by  E.  Paris  Singer,  and  the 
Committee  members  were  responsible  for 
equipment  and  all  things  necessary  for  the 
patients.  Structural  alterations  were  made, 
the  place  was  equipped  as  a  thoroughly  mod- 
ern hospital  and  on  September  27,  1914,  it 
was  ready  and  opened  to  the  first  convoy  of 
wounded  men. 

A  report  of  the  first  thousand  cases  showed 
only  three  deaths,  thirty-five  invalided  out  of 
the  service  and  the  average  time  of  a  patient 
in  the  hospital  22.8  days.  A  later  report 
showed  that  after  4,617  cases  had  been 
handled,  there  were  only  sixteen  deaths  and 
only  251  had  been  invalided  out  of  the  ser- 
vice.    The  cost  per  bed  was  approximately 


AMERICAN    FUND    FOR    FRENCH    WOUNDED 

In  November,  1914,  IVIrs.  Alfred  Partridge 
Klotz  established  in  London  what  was  known 
as  the  French  Wounded  Emergency  Fund. 
The  American  Committee,  under  the  title  of 
the  American  Fund  for  French  Wounded, 
was  organized  in  December,  19 15.  Active 
heads  of  the  work  were  Mrs.  Ethelbert 
Nevin,  Miss  Anne  Morgan,  Miss  Maude 
Wetmore,  Mrs.  L.  B.  Stillwell  and  Mrs. 
Benjamin  G.  Lathrop.  At  the  outset  efforts 
were  directed  toward  making  the  work  na- 
tional in  scope  and  effect.  Committees  were 
formed  in  practically  every  State  in  the 
Union.  Notable  among  these  was  the  New 
England  branch,  of  which  Miss  Edith  Bangs, 
of  Boston,  was  the  head. 

The  early  work  of  the  Committee  was  the 
furnishing  of  necessary  supplies  and  equipment 
to  the  military  hospitals  in  France,  some  of 
the  smaller  and  more  isolated  of  which  were 
conducted  under  almost  primitive  conditions. 
The  first  work  w\is  done  in  Normandy  and 
Brittany.  As  the  work  grew,  it  was  deemed 
wise  to  ship  supplies  direct  to  France,  which 
caused  the  American  organization  to  disasso- 
ciate itself  from  the  parent  body  in  London. 
A  Paris  depot  was  opened  with  Mrs.  Lathrop 
at  its  head.  The  New  York  Committee 
worked  in  close  cooperation  with  the  Vacation 
War  Relief  Committee.  At  the  end  of  the 
first  six  months  the  Fund  had  shipped  more 
than  15,000,000  separate  articles  and  about 
$1,000,000  had  been  expended. 

The  work  grew  in  importance  and  effect, 
especially  after  the  entry  of  the  United  States 


92 


THE  ARMIES  OF  jMERCY 


into  the  war.  Hospitals  were  cared  for  and 
dispensaries  were  established  at  various  places 
designated  by  the  French  Go\ernment.  The 
work  was  eventually  extended  for  the  relief 
of  civilians,  for  refugees,  the  children,  people 
of  devastated  sections,  repatriated  prisoners, 
etc.  In  point  of  fact,  the  Fund  held  itself 
in  readiness  to  extend  help  whenever  and 
wherever  needed  in  France. 

AMERICAN    COMMITTEE   FOR  DEVASTATED 
FRANCE 

Under  the  leadership  of  Mrs.  A.  M.  Dike 
and  Miss  Anne  Morgan,  of  New  York  City, 
the  American  Committee  for  Devastated 
France  began  its  activities  in  June,  191 7.  It 
was  established  under  orders  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  France  and  French  Military  author- 
ities in  the  Department  of  the  Aisne,  and 
was  pledged  to  the  work  of  reinstating  the 
moral  as  well  as  the  physical  welfare  of  the 
civilian  population  of  that  section. 

In  June,  191 7,  General  Petain  took  ten 
American  women,  under  the  direction  of  Mrs. 
Dike  and  Miss  Morgan,  to  the  Aisne  to  begin 
their  work.  Requested  to  wear  the  French 
Army  uniform  and  report  at  military  head- 
quarters, they  became  an  integral  part  of  that 
Army  and  were  entirely  under  Army  control. 
Some  thirty  villages  were  under  their  super- 
vision, and  at  the  end  of  six  months  General 
Petain  wrote  to  praise  their  work  and  en- 
courage its  continuance. 

It  was  by  living  with  the  people  in  the 
destroyed  villages  and  sharing  their  hardships 
and  dangers  that  these  American  women  were 
enabled  to  know  conditions  and  be  helpful. 
Menaced  by  the  approaching  Germans,  they 
worked  the  harder.  For  weeks  at  a  time  they 
did  not  take  off  their  clothing,  and  the  motor 
drivers  slept  in  their  cars.  They  saved  all 
of  their  supplies  and  those  of  neighbors  from 
the  invaders.  By  Army  request,  they  re- 
mained in  the  war  zone,  giving  help  of  every 
kind.  Their  canteens  fed  from  five  to  eight 
thousand  soldiers  daily.  At  their  Paris  office 
an  average  of  100  refugees  were  fed  and 
clothed  each  day. 

A  feature  of  the  work  was  the  mental  and 
manual  training  of  children.  There  were 
special  committees  on  the  food  problem  and 
crop  raising.     They  had  traveling  shops  with 


household  necessities,  traveling  and  fixed  dis- 
pensaries; they  aided  maimed  soldiers  and 
over-burdened  women  to  cultivate  the  soil,  and 
had  a  motor  corps  for  transportation  purposes. 

AMERICAN    COMMITTEE    FOR    ARMENIAN    AND 
SYRIAN    RELIEF 

The  purpose  of  the  American  Committee 
for  Armenian  and  Syrian  Relief  was  to  save 
the  lives  of  members  of  the  Christian  races 
threatened  with  extermination  through  the 
war,  in  Western  Asia.  A  great  part  of  the 
work  was  in  aid  of  the  persecuted  Armenians, 
the  helpless  victims  of  the  Turks. 

The  Committee  was  formed  October  4, 
19 1 5,  and  backed  by  such  well-known  men 
as  James  L.  Barton,  of  Boston ;  Charles  R. 
Crane,  Cleveland  H.  Dodge,  Hon.  William 
H.  Taft,  Hon.  Charles  E.  Hughes,  Cardinal 
Gibbons,  and  others.  The  Committee  used 
contributions  intact  for  relief  work,  all  ex- 
penses having  been  borne  by  private  subscrip- 
tions. Numerous  large  contributions  were 
made  to  the  Committee  by  the  Rockefeller 
Foundation.  In  19 16,  by  presidential  proc- 
lamation, Armenian  Day  was  observed 
throughout  the  United  States  and  a  material 
amount  was  raised.  Many  Liberty  Bonds 
were  purchased  and  donated  by  the  buyers 
to  this  work,  and  at  a  Billy  Sunday  meeting 
held  in  New  York  City  money  was  sub- 
scribed. 

Many  relief  stations  were  established  at 
various  centers,  from  which  help  was  dis- 
tributed through  wide  areas.  In  the  Russian 
Caucasus  thousands  of  orphan  children  were 
brought  under  the  care  of  agents  of  the 
organization.  Subscriptions  were  enlisted  to 
support  these  children  at  a  cost  of  $3  per 
month  each.  Help  was  extended  on  a  vast 
scale  to  women,  girls,  aged  people  and  others 
in  need.  It  is  estimated  that  some  4,000,000 
people  received  the  aid  extended  by  this  Com- 
mittee. 

AMERICAN      COMMITTEE      FOR     TRAINING     IN 

SUITABLE    TRADES    THE    MAIMED 

SOLDIERS    OF    FRANCE 

Under  the  patronage  of  President  Poincare, 
the  Union  des  Colonies  Etrangeres  en  France 
en    Faveur   des   Victimes   de   la    Guerre   was 


((2)     Underwood  and    Underwood. 

Miss  Anne  Morgan 

One  of  the  leaders  of  the  American  Committee  for    Devastated    France— a    tireless    and    efficient 

worker. 


94 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Mrs.  Benjamin  G.  Lathrop 


Bachrach. 


President  of  the  American  Fund  for  French  Wounded   and  head   of   the   Paris   depot — active   and 

untiring  in  her  zeal. 


formed  by  representatives  of  the  chief  neutral 
and  Allied  nations,  to  assist  the  maimed  sol- 
diers of  the  Army  of  France  to  become  self- 
supporting.  It  was  composed  of  leading 
bankers,  merchants,  presidents  of  the  various 
Chambers  of  Commerce  in  Paris  and  the  high- 
est authorities  of  the  French  government. 

France  had  thousands  of  maimed  soldiers 
unable  to  take  up  life  again  unaided.  The 
Committee  worked  to  raise  a  fund  to  help 
these  heroic  men  to  help  themselves.  A  man 
without  arms  can  be  taught  to  use  his  feet 
and  to  use  artificial  arms;  a  man  without 
legs  can  learn  a  trade  suited  to  his  condition 
and  thus  be  enabled  to  support  his  family. 
The  cost  of  training  a  maimed  soldier  in  the 


schools  was  about  $100.  The  principal  trades 
taught  included  shoemaking,  saddlery  and 
harness-making,  carpentry  and  cabinet-mak- 
ing, picture-framing  and  gilding,  bookkeep- 
ing and  general  commercial  accounting,  tailor- 
ing, wig-making  and  barbering,  soap-making, 
tin-working,  industrial  designing,  stenography 
and    typewriting. 

Schools  estabished  included  two  wings  in 
the  Grand  Palace,  Champs  Elysees,  donated 
by  the  French  government,  where  over  300 
men  could  be  trained ;  a  large  private  dwelling 
house  in  Paris  where  100  could  be  trained  and 
lodged ;  schools  at  Maison  Blanche,  Neuilly 
sur  Marne,  8  miles  from  Paris,  where  500 
could    be    trained.     The    French    Committee 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


95 


found  situations  for  several  hundred  graduates 
from  the  trade  schools.  The  French  govern- 
ment asked  the  cooperation  of  the  American 
Committee  to  establish  agricultural  schools 
for  maimed  peasants.  In  addition  to  the 
three  schools  mentioned,  this  Committee 
assumed  responsibility  for  two  agricultural 
schools  at  Juvisy  and  Troyes. 

ASSOCIATION    OF    HIGHLAND    SOCIETIES    OF 
EDINBURGH 

The  Scotch  were  the  first  British  troops 
to  arrive  in  France,  they  v/ere  at  the  front 
in  every  battle  and  none  were  called  upon  more 
constantly,  nor  for  greater  sacrifices.  Such 
service  cannot  be  rendered  without  its  costs, 
and  it  was  to  contribute  relief  and  comfort 
in  numerous  ways  that  the  Association  of 
Highland  Societies  of  Edinburgh,  composed 
of  delegates  from  most  of  the  Highland  and 
Clan  Societies  of  that  city,  came  into  exist- 
ence soon  after  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  in 
1914. 

It  was  both  at  home  and  on  the  battle 
fronts  that  the  Association  did  its  work. 
Necessities  and  comforts  were  supplied  to  the 
men  in  the  trenches  and  grants  were  made  to 
support  refreshment  rooms  and  rest  huts. 
Wounded  Highlanders,  both  in  French  hospi- 
tals and  returning  from  the  front,  were  visited 
and  supplied  with  necessary  comforts.  The 
dependent  families  of  Highlanders  who  died 
for  the  cause,  destitute  mothers,  widows,  or- 
phans and  others  were  cared  for  by  the 
Association. 

One  of  the  main  objects  of  the  Association 
was  to  provide  for  disabled  men  of  the  High- 
land regiments.  Various  plans  were  con- 
sidered, and  the  Association  helped  to  estab- 
lish a  farm  colony  in  the  north  of  Scotland 
where  the  disabled  men  would  have  a  home 
and  receive  instructions  to  enable  them  event- 
ually to  earn  their  own  living. 

Just  as  Scotland  contributed  to  the  Allies' 
fighting  force  out  of  all  proportion  to  her 
population  and  resources,  so  did  Scots  every- 
where, when  appealed  to,  respond  to  support 
the  splendid  works  of  the  Association.  Ap- 
peals were  conducted  in  America  by  the 
National  Allied  Relief  Committee,  under  the 
personal  direction  of  James  Marwick  and 
John  Moffat,  and  with  the  cooperation  of  the 


Saint  Andrews  Society  of  New  York  with  the 
personal  endorsement  of  William  Sloanc, 
President  of  the  Society. 

THE    WAR   RELIEF    CLEARING    HOUSE    FOR 
FRANCE   AND    HER    ALLIES 

Early  in  191 5,  the  War  Relief  Clearing 
House  for  France  and  Her  Allies  was  organ- 
ized in  New  York  City.  It  was  backed  by 
some  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential 
men  of  New  York,  and  soon  took  rank  as 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  effective  of  the 
American  organizations  formed  to  distribute 
relief  for  the  destitute  and  suffering  in  the 
Allied  countries. 

The  Clearing  House  was  closely  affiliated 
with  the  American  Relief  Clearing  House  in 
Paris.  The  latter  was  officially  recognized 
by,  and  worked  in  closest  touch  with,  the 
French  government.  Prior  to  our  country's 
entrance  into  the  war  it  wa3,  perhaps,  the 
foremost  American  relief  organization  in 
France,  and  it  was  through  this  agency  that 
the  Clearing  House  in  New  York  was  kept  in 
touch  with  needs  and  conditions  and  was  en- 
abled to  do  relief  work  quickly  and  where  the 
needs  were  most  urgent.  The  New  York 
Clearing  House  was  also  affiliated  with  a 
corresponding  organization  in  Rome,  Italy, 
which  was  officially  recognized  by  the  Italian 
government. 

The  Clearing  House  in  New  York  in  May, 
191 5,  opened  its  own  warehouse  in  New 
York  for  the  receiving  and  forwarding  of 
shipments  of  relief  supplies.  An  idea  of  its 
magnitude  may  be  had  when  it  is  known  that 
to  August  I,  1917,  the  Clearing  House  had 
sent  forward  more  than  101,000  cases  of 
hospital  supplies,  clothing,  food  products,  etc., 
of  an  estimated  value  of  more  than  $7,575,- 
000.  It  cooperated  with  and  acted  for  more 
than  5,000  individual  relief  organizations, 
societies,  churches,  clubs  and  groups  of  indi- 
viduals in  the  United  States,  Canada,  the 
Hawaiian  Islands,  Cuba,  Bermuda,  etc. 

The  Clearing  House,  both  in  New  York 
and  Paris,  eventually  became  a  part  of  the 
American  Red  Cross,  after  the  entrance  of 
the  United  States  into  the  war.  In  this  way 
the  American  Red  Cross  acquired  the  ser- 
vices of  Clyde  A.  Pratt,  to  whose  tireless  and 
efficient  efforts  as  Executive  Secretary  of  the 


96 


THE  ARiAllES  OF  MERCY 


Armenians  Starved  and  Murdered  by  the  Turks 


Clearing  House  much  of  the  success  of  that 
organization  was  due. 

LE    BIEN-ETRE    DU    BLESSE 

Le  Bien-Etre  du  Blesse  was  founded  at  the 
request  of  the  French  government  for  the 
purpose  of  supplying  delicacies  and  nourishing 
food,  not  included  in  the  regular  military  diet, 
to  the  wounded  and  convalescent  soldiers  in 
the  military  hospitals.  The  work  led  to  the 
establishment  of  Diet  Kitchens  in  the  hospi- 
tals, and  it  is  on  the  authority  of  many  promi- 
nent French  surgeons  that  the  assertion  is 
made  that  many  lives  were  saved  through  this 
organization.  More  than  1,200  hospitals  were 
supplied. 

The  value  of  Le  Bien-Etre  du  Blesse  was 
well  established  by  the  fact  that  the  work 
was  incorporated  as  a  regular  feature  of  the 
War  Department  in  France. 

The  supporters  of  this  organization  worked 
at  the  hospitals  in  the  war  zone  where  no 
visitors  were  admitted.  They  were  frequently 
under  fire. 

Many  of  the  men,  recovering  from  painful 
and  long  drawn-out  illnesses  from  wounds, 
gas-poisoning,   or  other  causes,  were  in   such 


a  mental  frame  of  mind  that  they  did  not 
care  whether  they  lived  or  died.  Tempted 
with  dainty  morsels  of  food,  cheered  by  those 
who  administered  the  delicacies,  they  were 
given  new  life  and  strength,  and  their  recov- 
ery of  health  was  speeded.  It  was  not  a 
matter  of  "three  square  meals  a  day"  for 
them,  but  meals  serv^ed  four  or  five  times  a 
day  and  at  night  when  the  patient  might  crave 
food. 

This  work  was  continued  for  some  months 
after  the  end  of  the  war.  Mrs.  Gertrude 
Atherton  was  the  head  of  the  American  Com- 
mittee. 

COMMITTEE     FOR     THE     RELIEF     OF     BELGIAN 
PRISONERS   IN    GERMANY 

Lady  Lowther  was  the  head  in  London  of 
the  Committee  for  the  Relief  of  Belgian 
Prisoners  in  Germany,  the  American  branch 
of  which  was  affiliated  with  the  National 
Allied   Relief   Committee. 

The  purposes  of  this  Committee  were  to 
send  fortnightly  packages  of  food  and  cloth- 
ing to  the  forty-five  thousand  Belgian  pris- 
oners held  in  Germany,  and  for  individuals  to 
adopt   prisoners    and    correspond    with    them. 


PainliriK  by  J.   Paul   Verrees 


The  Canteen   in   France 


I 


I 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


97 


©     Undcrii'oud  and    Underwood. 


Examining  Scottish  Territorials  in  a  Dressing  Station 

An  official  photograph  taken  on  the  British  Western  front  durinc;  the  Battle  of  Menin  Road  fol- 
lowing a  successful  attack  on  Rose  Farm. 


Many  of  these  prisoners  had  been  under  Ger- 
man domination  since  the  beginning  of  the 
war  and  had  almost  reached  the  end  of  their 
endurance.  Through  the  efforts  of  this  Com- 
mittee vast  numbers  not  only  had  things  made 
easier  for  them,  but  were  saved  from  actual 
death  by  starvation. 

The  work  of  caring  for  the  Belgian  pris- 
oners who  were  repatriated  received  the  sup- 
port of  the  National  Allied  Relief  Committee. 
Forty  thousand  of  these  men  were  returned 
from  German  prison  camps,  many  of  them  in 
the  last  stages  of  weakness  from  lack  of  food 
and  the  cruel  treatment  of  their  German 
captors.  There  were  thousands  of  wrecked 
homes  and  ruined  industries.  Belgian  fam- 
ilies were  scattered  all  over  Europe,  and  care 
was  to  be  continued  until  they  were  reab- 
sorbed into  civilian  life.  Such  an  undertak- 
ing as  assumed  by  the  committee  proved  one 
of  no  mean  proportions,  as  will  be  readily  un- 
ilerstood  in  view  .of  all  the  circumstances. 


FRENCH    TUBERCULOSIS    WAR   VICTIMS     FUND 

The  French  Tuberculosis  War  Victims' 
Fund  was  established  in  France  by  Mrs. 
Edith  Wharton  and,  as  the  name  would  indi- 
cate, was  conducted  in  aid  of  the  victims  of 
the  White  Plague.  It  was  not  alone  tuber- 
culous soldiers  not  provided  for  by  the  gov- 
ernment who  were  aided,  but  also  women, 
children  and  other  civilians  who  had  con- 
tracted the  disease.  Sanatoriums  were  opened, 
the  best  of  American  and  French  curative 
methods  were  adopted,  the  value  of  fresh  air 
treatment  was  utilized  to  the  fullest  extent, 
proper  diet  was  provided,  and  all  of  this  good 
work  was  done  with  the  endorsement  and  co- 
operation of  the  Health  Service  of  the  Mili- 
tary Department  of  the  French  government. 
The  work  led  to  a  widespread  improvement 
in  the  sanitary  conditions  in  homes,  especially 
of  the  middle  classes  in   France. 

The  work  was  entirely  supported  by  vol- 


98 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     Uitdcrvjood  and   Underwood. 


Wounded  French  Soldiers  Out  for  a  Walk  with  Their  Nurses 


untary  contributions.  During  the  winter  of 
igi6  an  American  Committee  was  formed  to 
support  Mrs.  Wharton's  efforts  by  making 
appeals  for  funds  in  this  country.  This  Com- 
mittee, including  in  its  membership  Walter 
E.  Maynard  as  President,  John  Moffat  as 
Executive  Chairman,  Mrs.  Walter  E.  May- 
nard, Mrs.  Bayard  Cutting,  Mrs.  F.  Gray 
Griswold,  Lewis  Cass  Ledyard  and  others, 
raised  considerable  amounts  of  money  which 
were  cabled  intact  to  Mrs.  Wharton,  all  nec- 
essary expenses  being  borne  by  private  sub- 
scriptions. In  the  spring  of  igiy  the  Com- 
mittee, after  its  affairs  had  been  wound  up, 
was  taken  over  by  the  American  Red  Cross. 

CHARITIES  OF  THE  QUEEN  OF  THE   BELGIANS 

Her  Majesty  Queen  Elizabeth,  as  the 
Committee  name  implies,  is  the  head  of  the 
Charities  of  the  Queen  of  the  Belgians.  The 
work  was  established  by  her  to  aid  both  the 
military  and  civilian  war  sufferers  of  her 
country. 

The  activities  included  were: 

I.  A  large  military  hospital  at  La  Panne 
where  Belgian  wounded  were  cared  for  on 
their  own  soil.   Much  valuable  research  was 


done  there  and  a  feature  of  the  institution  was 
the  manufacture  of  newly  invented  artificial 
limbs. 

2.  A  well  organized  work  for  supplying 
Belgian  wounded  in  the  various  hospitals  with 
smoking  material  and  nourishing  delicacies  not 
included  in  the  regular  military  assignment. 

3.  The  support  of  a  comfortable  and  cheery 
home  in  Paris,  where  Belgian  soldiers  given 
a  brief  furlough  from  the  battle  front  could 
go  and  find  comfort,  companionship  and  recre- 
ation. 

4.  An  arrangement  for  sending  packages  of 
food  and  clothing  to  Belgian  civilian  prisoners 
in  Germany  who  were  kept  in  destitution  by 
their  captors. 

The  American  Committee  of  the  Charities 
of  the  Queen  of  the  Belgians  was  organized 
early  in  191 5  in  New  York  City.  Its  mem- 
bership included  Mrs.  Charles  H.  Marshall 
as  Executive  Chairman,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Harri- 
man,  Mrs.  Charles  B.  Alexander,  John  Mof- 
fat, Frederick  H.  Allen  and  others.  The 
members  worked  actively  to  raise  funds  in 
America,  and  sent  substantial  remittances  to 
Queen  Elizabeth  for  her  charitable  works.  To 
this  as  to  all  other  calls  of  a  charitable  nature, 
the  American  people  readily  responded. 

VII— 7 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


99 


BRITISH    AND    CANADIAN    PATRIOTIC    FUND, 

INC. 

The  British  and  Canadian  Patriotic  Fund 
was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
of  New  York  as  a  permanent  organization 
for  the  relief  of  dependents  of  the  men  who 
joined  the  forces  of  the  British  Empire  from 
the  States  of  New  York,  New  Jersey  and 
Connecticut,  From  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
until  the  British  and  Canadian  Recruiting 
Mission  was  established  here  in  June,  191 7, 
recruiting  was  hampered  because  married  men, 
knowing  their  dependents  could  not  subsist  on 
the  separation  allowance  granted  by  the  Brit- 
ish and  Canadian  governments,  held  back  and 
did  not  join  the  forces.  It  was  recognized 
as  the  patriotic  duty  of  those  of  British  blood 
to  remove  this  obstacle.  The  establishing  of 
this  Fund  stimulated  recruiting  to  a  marked 
extent. 

There  were  special  organizations  in  the 
United  Kingdom  and  Canada  that  undertook 
to  supplement  the  separation  allowances  in 
necessary  cases.  But  they  could  not  operate 
in  the  United  States ;  consequently  the  duty 
fell  upon  British  subjects  in  this  country. 

The  purposes  of  the  British  and  Canadian 
Patriotic  Fund  were  threefold:  (i)  To  inves- 
tigate and  carry  out  the  granting  of   relief; 

(2)  after  the  war,  to  look  after  the  widows 
and  orphans  of  those  men  in  the  British 
forces  who  fell  in  the  service  of  their  country; 

(3)  to  provide  employment  for  all  returning 
soldiers,  many  of  whom  would  naturally  be 
handicapped  by  wounds  or  disease. 

From  reliable  figures  it  was  conservatively 
estimated  that  $40,000  a  month  for  the  period 
of  the  war  and  possibly  for  a  year  or  more 
afterward  would  be  required.  This  placed 
upon  the  Fund  the  obligation  of  raising  $500,- 
000  per  annum.  Finding  employment  for  the 
returning  men  required  much  personal  service, 
a  Bureau  of  Labor  being  necessary  to  keep  in 
touch  with  the  larger  employers  of  labor. 

The  officers  of  the  Fund  included  the  Hon. 
Charles  Clive  Bayley,  British  Consul  General, 
as  Honorary  President,  and  Brig.  Gen.  W.  A, 
White,  C.  B.,  C.  M.  G.,  who  was  the  head  of 
the  British  and  Canadian  Recruiting  Mission, 
as  President.  These  men  proved  a  valuable 
asset  to  the  successful  carrying  out  of  the 
purpose  of  this  fund. 


FOR   MEN    BLINDED   IN    BATTLE 

The  Committee  for  Men  Blinded  in  Battle 
was  the  first  American  organization  to  be 
formed  to  aid  the  war  blind  of  the  Allies. 
The  late  Joseph  H.  Choate  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  organization,  and  Miss  Winifred 
Holt,  long  experienced  in  this  high  service  of 
teaching  and  reestablishing  the  blind,  was  the 
active  head  and  director  of  the  work. 

The  work  was  inaugurated  in  March,  191 5, 
when  Miss  Holt  arrived  at  Bordeaux,  at  the 
request  of  a  Committee  formed  in  the  United 
States,  to  continue  in  France,  where  the  war 
had  made  it  sorely  needed,  the  endeavors  for 
the  blind  that  had  been  her  life-work  in 
America.  The  first  "Lighthouse"  was  opened 
in  Paris,  the  Committee  adopting  as  its  symbol 
a  lighthouse  with  three  radiating  rays  stand- 
ing for  "Liberty,  Fraternity  and  Equality." 
There  was  inaugurated  the  work  of  reeduca- 
tion of  men  who  suddenly,  in  the  midst  of 
youth  and  strength  and  enthusiasm  for  the 
cause,  found  themselves  overtaken  by  per- 
petual darkness.  The  work  did  not  mean 
their  separation  from  homes,  families  and  am- 
bition, but  rather  in  putting  eyes  in  their 
finger-tips,  giving  them  a  new  means  of  self- 
support,  if  the  old  manner  of  earning  a  living 
did  not  lend  itself  to  the  new  condition,  and 
starting  them  again  on  the  paths  of  content- 
ment in  their  former  environment. 

Thousands  of  blinded  men  were  aided  by 
Miss  Holt  and  her  co-workers.  The  work  was 
alike  for  physicians,  ambulance  drivers,  muni- 
tion workers,  etc.,  as  well  as  soldiers,  and  it 
was  for  all  the  Allies.  They  were  taught  type- 
writing, stenography,  commercial  courses, 
languages,  music,  modeling,  sports,  games,  etc. 
The  Committee  made  over  8,000  gifts  to  the 
Allies,  including  a  radiograph  installation  in 
Paris, 

The  work  was  under  the  patronage  of 
President  Poincare.  It  received  numerous 
high  endorsements,  notably  from  U.  S.  A. 
Surgeon  General  Gorgas,  American  Ambas- 
sador William  G.  Sharp,  the  Health  Service 
of  the  French  Ministry  of  War,  etc. 

BRITISH   AMERICAN   WAR  RELIEF  FUND 

The  principal  work  of  the  British  Ameri- 
can War  Relief  Fund,  which  was  one  of  the 


©     Underivood  and   Underwood. 


Mrs.  Edith  Wharton 

Who  established  the  French  l\iberculosis  War  Victim  Fund  in  France  to  fight  the  white  plague. 


THE  ARAIIES  OF  IVIERCY 


lOI 


largest  organizations  in  England  for  war  re- 
lief, and  which  was  organized  soon  after  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities,  was  to  supply  delica* 
cies  and  comforts  to  the  military  hospitals. 
While  the  care  and  equipment  of  these  insti- 
tutions were  of  a  high  standard,  many  small 
things  not  included  in  the  military  supplies 
were  craved  by  the  men.  Some  of  these  were 
tobacco,  fruit,  and  delicate  foods.  These,  to- 
gether with  games,  books  and  warm  hospital 
garments,  were  supplied.  The  Committee 
supplied  sixty-two  hospitals  and  relief  or- 
ganizations. It  was  kept  constantly  informed 
by  the  British  Red  Cross  Society,  Queen 
Mary's  Needlework  Guild  and  Queen  Alex- 
andra's Field  Force  Fund,  .^s  to  the  needs 
of  the  hospitals  and  military  cantonments. 
The  Committee  also  supplied  amusements  for 
the  British  military  camps. 

FOR  THE  ORPHANS  OF  THE  NORTH 

The  care  of  orphaned  and  refugee  children 
from  the  north  of  France  was  the  inspiring 
purpose  of  the  Franco-American  Committee 
for  the  Protection  of  the  Children  of  the 
Frontier.     The   Committee   established   colo- 


nies where  orphans  could  live  under  health- 
ful conditions,  with  good  food  and  proper 
teaching.  Many  children,  repatriated  by  the 
Committee,  had  been  without  schooling  for 
three  years,  and  much  special  work  was  neces- 
sary for  them.  At  the  proper  age  girls  were 
taught  domestic  science,  sewing,  lace-making, 
etc.,  while  the  boys  were  apprenticed  at  useful 
trades  and  occupations.  Medical  care  was 
given  the  children,  of  which  it  was  found  that 
80  per  cent,  were  in  need.  The  Committee 
had  seven  depots  in  Paris,  a  sanatorium  for 
the  tuberculous  and  a  special  colony  for  the 
care  of  infants  from  one  to  three  years  old. 
Numerous  children  were  adopted  by  Ameri- 
cans, each  of  whom  contributed  $72  annually 
for  the  support  of  a  child. 

SCOTTISH    women's    HOSPITALS 

The  Scottish  Women's  Hospitals  for  Home 
and  Foreign  Service,  entirely  staffed  by 
women,  was  founded  in  October,  191 4,  and 
on  recommendation  of  the  British  Red  Cross 
and  the  British  government,  the  first  unit 
was  established  at  Calais  under  the  Belgian 
government.      It    remained    with    the    army 


©     Gclctt  Burgess. 

Mrs.  Edith  Wharton's  "Ouvrier  for  Working  Girls"  in  France 


I02 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


during  a  serious  outbreak  of  typhoid  and  when 
the  epidemic  had  been  stamped  out,  the  unit 
was  moved  to  Serbia.  At  Kraguejvatz  in 
January,  1915,  it  took  over  a  Serbian  hospital 
of  500  beds  and  also  cared  for  wounded  in 
six  small  inns  in  the  town.  Seven  members 
of  the  staff  died  in  one  week  during  a  typhus 
epidemic.  Five  units  were  formed  in  Serbia, 
and  while  the  mortality  in  surrounding  Ser- 
bian hospitals  was  as  high  as  87  per  cent., 
the  mortality  of  the  camp  hospital  conducted 
by  the  unit  at  Valejvo  was  12  per  cent. 

The  unit  worked  at  Salonika  and  Corsica ; 
women  orderlies  during  the  Serbian  invasion 
transferred  refugees  from  the  Greek  and 
Albanian  ports,  and  the  Scottish  Women  at 
one  time  had  some  6,000  Serbian  refugees 
under  their  care.  Numerous  dispensaries  were 
also  established.  A  hospital  was  established 
in  the  south  of  France  for  Serbian  tubercular 
patients.  The  unit  at  Ostrovo,  in  Northern 
Macedonia,  was  known  as  the  American  Unit 


as  a  mark  of  appreciation  for  American  help. 
At  the  request  of  the  Russian  government  a 
unit  was  sent  to  care  for  the  Serbians  in 
Russia.  A  hospital  was  also  established  for 
the  wounded  in  Rumania. 

The  Scottish  Women  established  a  hospital 
at  Royaumont,  France,  in  December,  191 4. 
The  French  government  eventually  decorated 
each  member  of  the  staff.  This  hospital  was 
used  by  the  Pasteur  Institute  as  a  point  of 
study  of  gas  gangrene.  Other  hospitals  were 
established  in  France,  where  thousands  of  sol- 
diers were  cared  for,  and  at  the  request  of 
French  military  authorities,  canteens  staffed 
and  maintained  by  the  Scottish  Women  were 
established  at  several  places.  Many  of  the 
Scottish  Women's  Hospitals  v/ere  conducted 
under  canvas.  Generally  speaking,  it  required 
$250  to  maintain  a  bed  in  a  hospital  for  one 
year.  This  amount  had  in  each  case  to  be 
raised  by  voluntary  subscription  but  thousands 
accepted  the  chance  to  aid  in  this  direct  way. 


Helping  Refugees  In  Paris 


©     IVyndham. 


The  women  and  children  who  fled  from  devastated  homes  were   fitted  out   with   the  help  of  the 

American    Fund    for    French   Wounded. 


Plioto  from  Paul   Thoinl^son,   Courtesy  Red   Cross  Magazine. 


Mr.  Harvey  D.  Gibson 

Who,  as  General  Manager  of  the  Red  Cross,  directed  and  consolidated  the  energies  of  the  chap- 
ters throughout  the  United  States. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


105 


HELP  FOR  FRENCH  NON-COMBATANTS 

The  Secours  National,  under  the  patronage 
of  President  Poincare,  was  one  of  the  principal 
organizations  in  France  for  the  relief  of  non- 
combatant  sufferers  from  the  war.  It  was 
formed  almost  immediately  after  the  begin- 
ning of  hostilities  in  191 4  and  was  managed 
by  representatives  of  the  most  important  polit- 
ical and  religious  organizations  upon  a  strictly 
non-partisan  basis.  It  provided  immediate  re- 
lief for  inhabitants  of  places  destroyed  by  the 
enemy,  and  funds  for  the  reconstruction  of 
their  homes ;  it  maintained  workshops  for  the 
unemployed,  supported  shelters  and  restau- 
rants for  French  and  Belgian  refugees,  made 
provision  for  the  care  of  orphaned  or  lost 
children  and  of  old  people,  and  assisted  in  the 
relief  of  thousands  of  civilians  made  prisoners 
by  the  Germans,  and,  after  many  months  of 
imprisonment,  sent  back  through  Switzerland. 

The  American  Committee  of  the  Secours 
National  was  organized  in  September,  191 4, 
and  was  conducted  by  Mrs.  Whitney  War- 
ren, in  New  York  City.  The  Committee  was 
kept  reliably  informed  as  to  the  forms  of 
relief  most  needed,  and  acted  as  purchasing 
and  forwarding  agent  for  organizations  and 
individuals  wishing  to  contribute  funds  or 
supplies.  All  contributions  were  used  for 
relief  intact,  all  necessary  expenses  being 
paid  by  Committee  members.  The  American 
Committee  made  many  large  shipments  to 
France  during  the  more  than  four  years  of 
its  activity.  These  shipments  included  food- 
stuffs, canned  goods,  clothing,  shoes,  under- 
wear, blankets,  household  goods,  etc. 

FATHERLESS    CHILDREN    OF    FRANCE 

The  Committee  for  the  Fatherless  Children 
of  France  was  organized  in  October,  191 5. 
Marshal  Joffre  was  President  of  the  Paris 
Committee.  Miss  Luisita  Leland  was  Chair- 
man of  the  New  York  Committee.  There 
were  nearly  two  hundred  committees  in  as 
many  American  cities  who  were  working  in 
the  name  of  this  organization  for  the  little 
orphans  in  France. 

It  was  the  policy  of  the  Committee  to 
maintain  the  children  in  their  own  homes,  to 
be  brought  up  by  their  mothers  in  the  religion 
of  their  fathers,   and  to  establish  a  personal 


relationship  between  the  donor  and  the  child, 
that  the  donor  might  be  assured  his  money 
reached  its  proper  destination  and  also  that 
he  might  correspond  with  the  child.  The 
Committee  gave  for  the  support  of  a  child 
in  its  mother's  home  ten  cents  a  day,  $3  a 
month,  $36.50  a  year. 

Any  child  in  France  living  in  its  own  home, 
under  sixteen  years  of  age,  whose  father  lost 
his  life  in  the  war  and  who  was  certified  to  be 
in  need,  was  eligible  for  support.  It  was 
only  after  careful  investigation  that  aid  was 
given,  and  in  each  case  it  was  made  certain 
that  the  child  was  actually  alive  and  needy. 

Not  one  cent  of  the  money  subscribed  was 
used  for  expenses,  the  full  amount  invariably 
being  used  for  the  children.  All  expenses 
were  met  by  voluntary  contribution. 

A  WOMAN   UNDER  FIRE 

The  Wynne-Bevan  Ambulance  was  or- 
ganized at  the  outbreak  of  th:  war  by  Mrs. 
Hilda  Wynne,  of  London,  for  work  on  the 
fighting  front.  Associated  with  her  was  Ivor 
Bevan.  The  Treasurer  of  the  organization 
was  Ian  Malcolm,  M.  P.,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  British  Commission  that,  headed  by 
the  Rt.  Hon.  Arthur  J.  Balfour,  came  here 
soon  after  the  United  States  entered  the  war. 

Mrs.  Wynne's  first  work  was  on  the  battle- 
front  in  Belgium,  where  she  not  only  drove 
one  of  the  ambulances  under  fire,  but  person- 
ally handled  many  of  the  wounded.  Her 
activities  eventually  were  transferred  to 
France,  where  she  did  similar  work  with  the 
French   and  British. 

After  more  than  two  years  of  service  on 
the  Western  front,  Mrs.  Wynne  came  to 
America  where,  with  local  cooperation,  she 
succeeded  in  equipping  an  ambulance  unit  for 
service  with  the  Russian  Army.  She  served 
there  until  the  defection  of  that  country,  when, 
with  her  corps  and  equipment,  she  became 
identified  with  the  fighting  forces  in  Italy. 
There  she  served,  under  fire,  until  the  armis- 
tice was  signed. 

Aside  from  her  ambulance  duties,  Mrs. 
Wynne  worked  for  both  soldiers  and  civilians 
in  other  ways.  She  conducted  soup  kitchens, 
etc.,  for  the  soldiers  and  administered  relief 
to  the  extent  of  her  ability  among  the  desti- 
tute families  in  Italy.     More  recently  Mrs. 


io6 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Wynne  was  identified  with  Gen.  Garibaldi's 
Italian  Army  of  occupation  in   Belgium. 

No  one  during  the  war  worked  for  the 
Allies  with  more  effectiveness  and  less  osten- 
tation than  Mrs.  Wynne.  Her  numerous 
decorations  from  Allied  governments  tell  bet- 
ter than  words  of  what  she  did. 

SHELL-SHOCK  AND  BROKEN  NERVES 

Through  Mme.  Jusserand,  wife  of  the 
French  Ambassador  to  the  United  States,  aid 
was  extended  to  L'Assistance  au  Depots 
d'Eclopes.  D'Eclopes  were  the  men  of  the 
French  Army  who  were  incapacitated  for 
service  at  the  front  otherwise  than  by  wounds, 
as  shell-shock,  mental  strain,  exposure  and 
other  agencies  which  rendered  them  unfit. 
A  brief  rest  under  cheerful  and  comfortable 
conditions  speeded  their  recovery,  and  this  the 
Depot  sought  to  supply.  Collapsible  tents 
were  provided  so  the  men  could  sleep  out  of 
doors,  and  tools,  implements  and  seeds  were 
supplied    that    they    might    also    do    open-air 


work.  The  efforts  of  this  Committee  started 
shortly  after  the  first  battle  of  the  Marne  and 
grew  until  toward  tiie  end  of  hostilities  it  sup- 
ported more  than  eight  hundred  Depots. 

BELGIANS  WANDERING  IN  BRITAIN 

The  Chelsea  War  Refugees  Fund,  of  which 
Mrs,  Erskine  Childers  was  the  head,  was 
organized  to  care  for  Belgian  refugees  in  Eng- 
land, and  especially  in  London.  The  little  part 
of  Belgium  left  in  Belgian  hands  was  inade- 
quate for  the  vast  numbers  of  refugees,  many 
of  whom  fled  to  England.  Homes  and  food 
were  provided  for  them,  able-bodied  men  and 
women  found  work,  but  numerous  aged  peo- 
ple, maimed  soldiers  and  women  of  delicate 
health  or  with  small  children  were  unable  to 
carry  on.  It  was  found  that  knitting  and 
sewing  were  especially  well  suited  for  them. 
Money  was  raised  to  purchase  knitting  ma- 
chines, yarn  and  sewing  material,  which  en- 
abled them  to  be  self-supporting  and  live  in 
comparative  comfort. 


(jj;     Underwood  and    Underwood. 

The  War  Hospital  at  Cliveden,  England 

Showing  a  group   of  soldiers  both   British   and   British  Colonials  recuperating  at  the  Astor  Es- 
tate which  was  converted  during  the  war  as  a  memorial  to  the  late  Duchess  of  Connaught.     Mrs. 
Astor,  wearing  a  derby  hat  and  a  riding  habit,   is  seated  near  the  center  of  the  third  row. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


107 


VOLUNTEER   MOTOR   TRANSPORT 

The  London  Volunteer  Motor  Corps  was 
inaugurated  in  February,  1916,  for  the  safety 
and  comfort -of  soldiers  and  sailors  visiting 
London.  During  the  war  London  was  dark 
at  nights,  and  the  buses  and  subway  did  not 
run.  Many  men  on  furlough,  the  majority 
of  them  strangers  in  London,  with  money  in 
their  pockets  and  time  on  their  hands,  were 
beset  by  the  perils  and  temptations  of  the 
streets  of  a  great  city  after  dark. 

This  condition  was  remedied  by  the  Motor 
Transport  Volunteers.  Devoted  men  and 
women  gave  their  services,  and  numerous 
motor  vehicles  were  put  into  commission. 
They  met  each  train  with  troops  that  arrived 
in  London,  members  of  the  service  being 
allowed  inside  the  railroad  stations.  The 
men  were  taken  to  respectable  lodging  houses 
under  the  direction  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the 
Church  of  England,  the  Catholic  Church,  or 
any  other  denomination  selected  by  the  men, 
also  to  hotels  and  recreation  centers,  if  de- 
sired. In  cases  where  the  men  were  bound 
for  other  parts  of  the  country,  they  were  taken 
in  safety  to  the  proper  railroad  stations.  Many 
hospitable  homes  were  open  to  the  men  who 
cared  to  visit  them. 

A  motor  covered  from  sixty  to  one  hundred 
miles  through  the  streets  of  London  between 
midnight  and  8  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Some 
nights  as  many  as  4,000  men  would  be  cared 
for.  The  work  had  the  hearty  endorsement 
of  such  men  as  Lord  Kitchener,  Field  Mar- 
shal P'rench  and  the  Duke  of  Connaught. 
The  corps  was  commanded  by  Sir  John  Lis- 
ter-Kaye,  Bart.  The  work  was  represented 
in  America  by  Lady  Lister-Kaye,  herself  a 
native  American. 

WAR    BABIES    CRADLE 

The  purpose  of  the  War  Babies  Cradle  was 
to  care  for  the  mothers  and  children  in  dis- 
tress in  northern  France  and  Belgium  who 
lacked  food,  clothing,  fuel  and  medical  atten- 
tion. The  help  was  extended  through  an 
agency  at  Calais,  under  the  superintendence 
of  Comptesse  Marie  du  Hemptinne,  a  native 
of  Belgium,  who  visited  the  families  in  the 
stricken  districts  and,  so  far  as  possible,  sup- 
plied their  needs.     Necessities  only  were  pur- 


©     Uiidciicood   and    Underwood. 


Back  to  the  Home  Town! 

A  transcontinental  Hospital  train  leaving  Grand 
Central  Depot  for  the  Pacific  Coast. 

chased  with  money  contributed.  The  Cradle 
cared  for  the  mothers  of  newly  born  children 
for  ten  days,  then  exerted  its  efforts  largely 
for  the  assistance  of  the  babies  themselves,  the 
plight  of  whom,  under  the  terrifying  and 
dreadful  conditions  of  their  birth,  was  most 
deplorable.  The  Committee  worked  in  con- 
junction with  the  French,  Belgian  and  British 
iVIilitary    Charities. 

American  support  for  this  work  was  se- 
cured through  the  personal  efforts  of  Mrs. 
Jules  S.  Bache,  of  New  York  City.  Later  a 
new  Committee  for  the  War  Babies  Cradle 
was  formed,  including  Mrs.  Ogden  Mills, 
Mrs.  E.  C.  Baylies,  Mrs.  Herman  Oelrichs 
and  others. 

A  FIGHTING  DUCHESS 

The  Millicent  Sutherland  Ambulance  was 
organized  in  August,  19 14,  by  the  Duchess 
of  Sutherland.  She  worked  under  fire  in  Bel- 
gium, retreating  step  by  step  as  the  Germans 
advanced,  frequently  with  hair-breadth  es- 
capes. Later  she  worked  in  France.  She 
established  a  base  hospital  with  one  hundred 


io8 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


beds  at  Calais.  Eventually,  at  the  request 
of  the  Director  General  of  the  Medical  Staff 
of  the  British  Army,  she  transferred  her  work 
to  the  British  troops.  Her  work  grew  in 
extent  and  importance  until  it  was  one  of 
the  conspicuously  effective  individual  hospital 
units  at  the  front.  Modern  devices  and  equip- 
ment were  established  at  the  hospitals  and 
much  valuable  work  was  done. 

AMERICAN    STUDENTS    COMMITTEE    OF    THE 
ECOLE  DES  BEAUX  ARTS 

Americans  who  were  alumni  of  the  great 
Paris  institution,  the  Ecole  des  Beaux  Arts, 
when  war  was  declared,  turned  themselves  to 
aiding  France.  A  Committee  was  formed  by 
several  American  architects,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Henry  R.  Sedgwick,  the  object  being 
to  aid  past  and  present  members  of  the  school 
serving  at  the  front. 

The  Committee's  usefulness,  apparent  at 
the  outset,  increased  rapidly.  Eventually  it 
was  supplying  the  personal  needs  of  more 
than  3,000  soldiers  and  providing  for  more 
than  one  hundred  of  their  families.  The 
work  was  done  along  practical  lines  and  the 
policy  was  to  save  those  who  were  helped  the 
humiliation    of    accepting    charity    and    offer 


them  the  chance  to  earn  a  living.  Illus- 
trated cards  were  done  by  soldiers  formerly 
students  at  the  great  school  and  sold  for  the 
support  of  the  work.  The  Committee,  with- 
out expense,  also  sold  $3,000  worth  of  paint- 
ings, etchings,  statues,  etc.,  done  by  needy 
artists.  To  aid  the  wives,  children,  mothers 
and  sisters,  a  work  room  was  established  in 
Paris  where  various  garments  were  made  and 
distributed  to  the  soldiers. 

The  Committee  published  and  distributed 
monthly  to  the  men  in  the  trenches  an  Atelier 
Gazette  containing  extracts  from  letters,  car- 
toons, addresses  and  general  news  of  former 
comrades.  Other  important  branches  of  the 
work  were  to  make  gifts  and  donations  of 
money  to  invalid  students  or  their  relatives, 
to  trace  men  who  had  disappeared  in  battle, 
to  establish  communication  between  prisoners 
and  their  families,  and  between  soldiers  and 
their  families  in  parts  of  France  held  by  the 
enemy. 

ALLIED    HOME    FOR   MUNITION    WORKERS 

The  Allied  Home  for  Munition  Workers, 
as  the  name  would  suggest,  was  a  home  for 
women  employed  in  the  munitions  plants  of 
England.      It   provided    a   place   where   they 


0     Undcr'.x:ood  and  Underwood. 


British  Wounded  at  the  Prince  of  Wales  Hospital,  Tottenham,  England 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


109 


might  have  occasional  rest  and  recreation, 
where  those  broken  in  health  from  arduous 
work,  or  injured  by  accidents  might  find  a 
place  of  safety  and  comfort.  This  idea  orig- 
inated in  Am'erica,  and  the  money  for  estab- 
lishing and  supporting  a  home  was  contributed 
here. 

SERBIAN    RELIEF    COMMITTEE    OF    AMERICA 

The  Serbian  Relief  Committee  of  America 
worked  practically  from  the  beginning  of  the 
war  to  supply  the  suffering  Serbians  with 
much  needed  provisions  and  clothing,  and  to 
provide  medical  supplies  and  invalid  food 
for  the  wounded.  Goods  were  distributed 
through  the  Serbian  Red  Cross  at  Geneva 
to  the  destitute  women,  children  and  aged 
people.  Special  work  was  done  for  boys  from 
thirteen  to  eighteen  years  of  age  whose  health 
had  been  broken  by  the  hardships  inflicted 
upon  Serbia.  The  French  government  trans- 
ported supplies  free  of  charge. 

An  isolated  country  despoiled  and  ravaged 
by  invaders,  Serbia  needed  practically  every- 
thing necessary  for  existence. 


SERBIAN    RED   CROSS 

The  National  Allied  Relief  Committee,  in 
addition  to  the  other  aid  extended  to  Serbia, 
contributed  to  the  Serbian  Red  Cross  for 
relief  in  that  country.  The  hospital  equip- 
ment of  the  Serbian  Army  was  primitive  and 
entirely  inadequate  to  the  needs.  Moreover 
there  was  an  epidemic  of  typhus  among  Ser- 
bian civilians  which  could  not  be  dealt  with 
effectively  because  of  lack  of  hospital  equip- 
ment and  medical  supplies.  It  was  to  meet 
these  needs  that  the  National  Allied  Relief 
Committee  responded  with  cash  contributions. 

RUMANIAN    RELIEF    COMMITTEE    OF    AMERICA 

The  Rumanian  Relief  Committee  was 
formed  under  the  patronage  of  Queen  Marie 
of  Rumania,  after  the  Russian  defection  had 
placed  Rumania  practically  at  the  mercy  of 
Germany  and  her  equally  conscienceless  allies. 
The  purpose  of  the  Committee  was  to  afford 
all  possible  relief,  in  that  portion  of  Rumania 
still  remaining  free,  to  wounded  and  sick  sol- 
diers and  refugees.     There  were  several  hun- 


'Q     UndcriiOiid  and   Liu/t ;  wiv.yj. 


The  Duchess  of  Sutherland  at  Her  Hospital  in  Northern  France 

The  Duchess  (at  the  left)  was  active  in  aiding  the  wounded  behind  the  lines. 


no 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


The  Chateau  de  Chavaniac 

The  Birthplace  of  Lafayette,  used  by  an  American  committee   for  the  care  of  France's   orphans. 


dred  thousand  people  destitute,  and  in  a  coun- 
try without  resources. 

All  funds  collected  were  used  to  buy  food, 
clothing,  medical  supplies,  etc.,  which  the 
Rumanian  government  forwarded  free  of 
cost,  and  as  the  forwarding  expenses  ordinarily 
equaled  the  cost  of  the  goods,  every  dollar 
contributed  really  meant  two  dollars  spent  to 
relieve  distress.  Supplies  were  distributed 
under  the  direct  authority  of  Queen  Marie, 
to  whom  all  goods  were  consigned. 

T.  Tileston  Wells  was  Chairman  of  the 
Executive  Committee  in  America,  and  Henry 
Clews  was  Treasurer. 

THE    FRENCH    HEROES   LAFAYETTE    MEMORIAL 

FUND 

The  National  Allied  Relief  Committee, 
Inc.,  and  the  French  Heroes  Lafayette  Me- 
morial Fund,  Inc.,  worked  in  close  coopera- 
tion. It  may  be  said  in  a  way  that  each  con- 
tributed substantially  to  the  upbuilding  and 
usefulness  of  the  other.  They  occupied  the 
same  quarters  at  2  West  45th  Street,  New 
York  City,  where  each,  if  occasion  arose,  was 
able  to  supplement  and  strengthen  the  en- 
deavors of  the  other. 

Originally   known    as    the    French    Heroes 


Fund,  this  organization  was  formed  in  the 
late  spring  of  igi6.  Mile.  Valentine  Thom- 
son and  other  active  war  workers  in  Paris, 
under  the  name  of  La  Vie  Feminine,  the  title 
being  taken  from  a  journal  for  women  pub- 
lished by  Mile.  Thomson  established  work- 
shops in  that  city  for  women  and  girls  thrown 
out  of  employment  through  war  conditions, 
and  for  disabled  soldiers.  Mrs.  William 
Astor  Chanler,  then  in  Paris,  accepted  the 
responsibility  for  American  representation  to 
aid  this  work.  Mrs.  Chanler  and  Mr.  John 
Moffat  organized  the  French  Heroes  Fund 
in  America,  and  its  first  activity  was  partici- 
pation in  the  Allied  Bazaar  held  in  New 
^'ork  City  in  June,   19 16. 

Shortly  after  this  the  Chateau  de  Chav- 
aniac, birthplace  of  Lafayette  in  the  Au- 
vergne,  was  acquired,  the  intention  being  to 
preserve  it  as  a  memorial  of  the  friendship 
that  existed  between  Washington  and  Lafay- 
ette, and  to  make  of  it  a  museum  for  records 
of  French  and  American  wars  for  liberty,  and 
of  the  war  just  ended.  This  plan,  however, 
was  broadened  to  convert  the  Domaine  La- 
fayette into  an  institution  where  Americans, 
aided  by  people  in  France,  could  care  for  the 
moral,  mental  and  physical  welfare  of 
France's    orphans.       In    the    meantime    the 


Queen  Marie  of  Rumania 

Rumania's   beautiful   queen,   who   suffered   with    her  unfortunate  people   and  labored  for  them  in 

the  hour  of  trial  and  German  invasion. 


I  12 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Louiiesy   of    Kcd    Cross   Alagasine. 

A  Red  Cross  man  Watching  Over  Belgian  Refugees  in  the  Gare  du  Nord, 

Paris 


French  Heroes  Fund  had  been  working  in 
other  ways  for  the  relief  of  France's  war 
sufferers.  Its  support  of  the  workshops  in 
Paris  had  continued  and  in  addition  it  had 
cared  for  refugees,  for  people  of  devastated 
sections,  for  children,  and  for  disabled  and 
convalescent  soldiers  as  well  as  victims  of 
tuberculosis. 

THE  GREAT  RESPOND 

An  exceptionally  strong  Paris  Committee 
of  the  French  Heroes  Fund  was  formed. 
Premier  Clemenceau  became  President  of  the 
Committee  of  Honor,  which  also  included 
ex-Premiers  Viviani,  Painleve,  Ribot  and 
Briand,  as  well  as  many  other  prominent  men 
in  France.  The  chairman  of  the  Paris  Com- 
mittee was  Judge  Walter  V.  R.  Berry,  Pres- 
ident of  the  American  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce in  Paris ;  the  Vice-President  was  Rob- 
ert Woods  Bliss,  of  the  American  Embassy; 
the  Treasurer  was  J.  Ridgeley  Carter,  of 
Morgan,  Harjes  &  Co.     Mile.  Thomson  was 


also  an  important  member  of  this  Commit- 
tee. In  this  connection  a  tribute  should  be 
paid  to  Mile.  Thomson  for  her  faithful  and 
highly  efficient  efforts.  Recognized  as  among 
the  foremost  women  of  France  in  relief  work 
since  the  war  began,  Mile.  Thomson  gave 
herself  tirelessly,  loyally  and  devotedly  to 
work  for  the  French  Heroes  Fund.  She 
overcame  difficulties,  and  under  the  distressing 
conditions  of  war  accomplished  frequently 
the  seemingly  impossible,  and  it  is  to  her,  in 
a  very  material  measure,  that  the  success  of 
the  work  may  be  attributed. 

In  December,  191 7,  the  French  Heroes 
Lafayette  Memorial  Fund  was  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
with  Mrs.  Chanler  as  President,  Mr.  Moffat 
as  Executive  Chairman  and  Mr.  James  A. 
Blair,  Jr.,  as  Treasurer.  The  affairs  of  the 
French  Heroes  Fund  were  then  taken  over, 
and  the  plans  for  the  present  and  future  were 
considerably  enlarged. 

When  the  Germans  began  their  drive  in  the 
spring  of  191 8,  that  was  to  herald  the  closing 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


113 


A  Room  in  the  Chateau  de  Chavaniac 

Once  the  dwelling  place  of  the  nobles  of  France — then  used  for  war  work. 


chapters  of  the  great  world  conflict,  the  disas- 
trous conditions  that  were  created  called  for 
heroic  endeavor  on  the  part  of  every  available 
person  in  France.  The  Paris  Committee  of  the 
Fund  resolved  itself  into  an  Emergency  Com- 
mittee for  the  care  of  the  child  sufferers. 
The  Chateau  de  Chavaniac  was  established  as 
an  emergency  home  for  them.  A  vestiaire 
and  a  clearing  house  were  established  in  Paris 
and  the  work  of  gathering  the  unfortunate 
children  was  begun.  As  fast  as  they  were 
collected  they  were  taken  to  the  Paris  head- 
quarters. There  they  were  cared  for  in  all 
necessar}^  ways  and  after  being  fitted  with 
necessary  clothing,  etc.,  and  after  careful  med- 
ical examination,  they  were  sent  to  the  Au- 
vergne.  But  the  need  of  more  extensive  ac- 
commodations for  the  rapidly  growing  num- 
ber of  rescued  children  became  quickly  ap- 
parent. Other  colonies  were  established  in  the 
Auvergne,  at  Le  Puy,  Chadrac.  Siauges-St. 
Romain,  St.  Georges  d'Aurac  and  Lourdes. 
The  work  of  rescuing  and  caring  for  the 
children  continued  in  earnest,  work  not  only 


for  the  permanent  pupils  of  the  Fund  but  for 
temporary  refugee  children.  The  Fund  also 
extended  its  usefulness  by  aiding  many  other 
firmly  established  and  duly  accredited  relief 
organizations  for  children  in  France.  There 
were  between  fifteen  and  twenty  of  these 
organizations,  and  notably  among  them  the 
committees  of  Mme.  Foch  and  IVIme.  Joffre, 
to  which  the  French  Heroes  Lafayette  Me- 
morial Fund,  Inc.,  contributed  in  order  that 
more  work  and  better  work  could  be  done 
for  a  greater  number  of  children.  The  Fund 
also  contributed  materially  to  the  aid  of  the 
Secours  de  Guerre,'  one  of  the  most  important 
relief  works  in  France,  and  to  numerous  other 
forms  of  relief  as  well  as  individual  cases  of 
need. 

Chavaniac  was  the  center  of  the  Fund's  ac- 
tivities in  the  Auvergne.  There  a  prevento- 
rium was  built  and  opened  for  the  care  of 
delicate  boys  who  would  be  made  strong  and 
useful  future  citizens  for  France.  The  Cha- 
teau, after  being  repaired,  in  which  consider- 
able   aid    was    given    by   contingents    of    the 


114 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


American  Army,  was  converted  temporarily 
into  a  home  and  school.  A  new  orphanage, 
however,  was  to  be  built  and  equipped,  after 
which  the  Chateau  was  converted  into  a 
museum,   as   already   indicated. 

Permanent  schools  were  established  at 
Le  Puy  and  Chadrac  and  one  of  the  Paris 
institutions,  the  Passy  Home  in  the  Boule- 
vard Beausejour,  was  also  placed  on  a  perma- 
nent footing.  The  school  at  Chadrac  was  a 
kindergarten,  the  one  at  Chavaniac  a  primary 
school  and  those  at  Le  Puy  and  the  Passy 
Home  were  more  advanced  schools.  It  was 
the  purpose  when  these  boys  had  reached  the 
age  of  eighteen  years,  or  approximately  that 
age,  to  send  them  to  America  where,  through 
the  generosity  of  certain  philanthropic  insti- 
tutions and  individuals,  they  were  to  receive  a 
three  years'  course  of  training  in  American 
institutions  and  methods,  after  which  time 
they   would    return    to   France   to   give   their 


country  the  benefit  of  what  they  had  learned. 
There  was,  however,  another  purpose ;  it 
was,  through  this  work,  to  bring  the  two 
nations  into  more  intimate  relations,  and 
through  the  training  of  these  boys  to  strength- 
en and  knit  more  firmly  the  friendship  be- 
tween France  and  America.  Until  the  boys 
reached  the  designated  age  to  come  to  Amer- 
ica, these  American  scholarships  would  be 
awarded  to  boys  from  other  institutions  in 
France,  especially  institutions  of  a  technical 
nature.  The  students  would  be  designated 
by  government  representatives,  and  it  should 
be  noted  that  throughout  the  Fund's  work  in 
France  it  had  the  endorsement  and  coopera- 
tion of  the  French  government.  This  was 
notably  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the  gov- 
ernment furnished  teachers  for  the  schools 
who  would  be  eligible  to  a  pension  at  the 
usual  age,  which  was  an  exception  that  the 
government  made  in  favor  of  this  fund. 


From  Theater  to  Warehouse 


,i3     IVyndham. 


This  was  the  playhouse  where  Yvette  Guilbert  made  her  debut  in  the  olden  days ;  during  the  war  it 
was  turned  into  a  supply  station.     Many  of  the  above  boxes  found  their  way  to  Serbia. 

VII— 8 


r 


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W  era* 
°S.  ?■ 

re     "o 


o 


o 


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o 


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?1 


'^  l-rt 


n' 


o 

p 

Q 


n> 

O 

o 

3 


^  O  'if^ 

3       ^      i-K 
3       •         O 


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If  en 

:^  w 

•  > 

^  3 


ffi     ffi 


cn 


cr  - 
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ii6 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


The  work  in  the  Auvergne  was  under  the 
direction  of  Mme.  Charles  Le  Verrier,  wife 
of  the  well-known  head  of  Chaptal  College 
in  Paris.  M.  Painleve  was  Chairman  of  the 
School  Committee  and  M.  Leon  Bourgeois 
was  Chairman  of  the  Sanatorium  Committee. 


The  French  Heroes  Lafayette  Memorial 
Fund,  Inc.,  aided  numerous  other  forms  of 
relief.  Many  of  these  were  aided  by  direct 
contributions  to  the  National  Allied  Relief 
Committee,  Inc.,  which  conducted  its  oper- 
ations upon  a  broad  and  generous  scale. 


SAVING  BELGIUM  FROM  FAMINE 

How  Americans  Organized  the  Commission  for  the  Relief  of  Belgium  and 
Saved  Ten  Million  People  from  Actual  Starvation 


IN  all  history  there  can  be  found  no  more 
striking  achievement  than  that  of  how  the 
Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium  fought  and 
conquered  starvation  in  a  country  whose  boun- 
daries were  a  wall  of  bayonets  and  a  blockad- 
ing Heet. 

It  is  the  story  of  how  a  private  organization 
for  four  years  voluntarily  carried  the  respon- 
sibility of  feeding  10,000,000  captured  peo- 
ple ;  managed  great  mills ;  chartered  fleets  of 
ocean-going  steamers  and  thousands  of  canal 
boats ;  employed  an  army  of  bakers ;  negotiated 
directly  with  the  chief  officers  of  half  a 
dozen  governments ;  came  to  be  trusted  al- 
most as  much  as  a  state  itself ;  delivered 
through  a  ring  of  steel  over  four  and  a  half 
million  tons  of  supplies,  all  rationed  on  dietetic 
principles;  accomplished  the  seeming  impossi- 
ble feat  of  feeding  the  ten  million  starving 
people  at  the  cost  of  eight  cents  per  person  a 
day,  with  the  unprecedented  administrative 
cost  of  less  than  five-eighths  of  one  per  cent. ; 
and  in  the  end  won  for  America  the  undying 
gratitude  of  a  nation  and  the  respect  of  the 
world. 

These  are  the  achievements  of  the  Com- 
mission for  Relief  in  Belgium. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  here  to  tell  of  all 
the  obstacles,  heartbreaking  disappointments 
and  trials  that  stood  in  the  way  of  the  finished 
task.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  story  will  ever  be 
told.  Only  those  who  themselves  bore  the 
burden  and  faced  the  responsibilities  could 
tell  it.  When  their  task  was  done,  they 
quietly  turned  to  other  things,  hardly  conscious 
themselves  of  the  miracle  of  their  work,  and 
forgetting  in  the  joy  of  the  completed  task  the 


nerve-racking  struggle  and  long  grinding  days 
and  nights  of  toil  that  made  for  its  accom- 
plishment. 

The  raison  d'etre  of  the  Commission  for  Re- 
lief in  Belgium  was  purely  a  military  exigency 
that  could  not  have  arisen  in  quite  the  same 
way  in  any  other  country  save  Belgium,  even 
under  the  extraordinary  circumstances  occa- 
sioned by  the  war. 

Almost  from  the  first  hour  of  the  war, 
when,  on  that  sunshiny  morning  in  August, 
1914,  the  German  Minister  to  the  Court  of 
King  Albert  delivered  a  declaration  of  war 
from  his  imperial  master  to  the  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs  of  Belgium,  famine  faced  the 
Belgian  people.  Any  other  country,  under  the 
circumstances  that  followed,  would  have 
faced  famine  eventually.  But  the  fact  that 
Belgium  faced  it  immediately  was  due  to  con- 
ditions peculiar  to  her  and  her  alone. 

Belgium,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  the 
most  densely  populated  and  highly  industrial- 
ized country  in  the  world.  Its  average  popu- 
lation per  square  mile  was  nearly  twice  that  of 
Great  Britain,  more  than  twice  that  of  Ger- 
many, and  more  than  three  times  that  of 
France.  With  this  large  population  in  pro- 
portion to  its  area  in  square  miles,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  Belgium  had  come  to  depend 
on  imports  for  50  per  cent,  of  her  food  sup- 
ply. This  included  about  three-quarters  of 
her  cereal  supply. 

The  Belgian  people  earned  their  living 
chiefly  by  the  exportation  and  sale  of  manufac- 
tured goods.  In  exchange  they  received,  liter- 
ally speaking,  their  daily  bread.  Thus,  of  all 
countries,   Belgium  was  least  able  to  set  her 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


117 


own  table  with  a  belligerent  army,  blocking  her 
doors  to  the  outside  world. 

This  explains  the  magnitude  of  the  task 
which  was  to  confront  the  Commission  for  Re- 
lief in  Belgium.  It  was  not  merely  the  poor 
of  Belgium  that  had  to  be  fed,  it  was  the 
entire  population,  rich  and  poor  alike,  who, 
when  the  doors  of  the  outside  world  were 
closed  to  them,  were  immediately  cut  off  from 
their  food  supply. 

"But,"  the  question  is  always  asked,  and 
pertinently,  "did  not  Belgium  have  a  little 
surplus  food  on  hand?  In  the  ordinary  move- 
ment of  supplies  there  are  bound  to  be  aggre- 
gations in  one  storehouse  and  another,  and 
these  aggregations  should  have  carried  Bel- 
gium through  at  least  the  first  months  of  the 
German  invasion." 

Here   again  we  come   to   a  situation   pecu- 
liar to  the  Belgian  people.     In  normal  times 
Belgium   depends  on   a   daily   inflow  of   food 
from  the  outside  world,  rather  than  an  aggre- 
gation of  foodstuffs  in  any  one  place.     This 
is  the  logical  outcome  of  her  size    (Belgium 
has  an  area  a  little  less  than  that  of  Mary- 
land),   coupled    with    her    highly    perfected 
transportation  system  of  canals,  railroads,  and 
little    narrow-gauge    neighborhood    lines    that 
link   farms  to  villages  and  villages  to  cities. 
Anything  anywhere  in  Belgium  can  be  moved 
to  anywhere  else  in  the  country  within  a  few 
hours.     This  explains  the  fact  that  Belgium 
had   no   accumulation   of   imported   stores   on 
hand.     Her  own  harvest,  which,  though  small, 
would   in   normal  times  have  given  her  one- 
fourth    of    her    cereal    supply,    was    quickly 
trampled  under  foot  by  marching  armies,  or 
lost   because   of   lack   of   hands   to  gather   it. 
So  it  was   inevitable  with   this   little  country 
that  famine  should  follow  immediately  on  the 
heels  of  the  rapidly  invading  enemy. 

BELGIUM     CUT    OFF     FROM    THE     WORLD 

The  story  of  how  the  brave  little  handful 
of  Belgian  soldiers  threw  themselves  in  the 
way  of  the  gray  hordes  that  swept  over  their 
borders,  and  desperately  fought  a  losing  fight 
in  order  to  gain  a  few  precious  days  and  hours 
for  France  to  mobilize  her  army,  does  not 
need  retelling  here.  The  fall  of  Liege,  Brus- 
sels, Namur,  and  finally  of  Antwerp,  is  known 
to  everyone  now. 


©     Underiwod  and   Underwood. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brand  Whitlock 

The  United  States'  Minister  to  Belj^ium  and 
his  wife  returning  home  aboard  the  Ryndham, 
Nov.  24,  1915,  for  a  few  months  of  much  needed 

rest. 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  first  German  sol- 
diers crossed  the  Belgian  frontier  in  the  early 
morning  a  bare  half  hour  after  Germany's 
declaration  of  war  on  August  4,  191 4.  ^^^ 
ten  weeks  later  Germany  had  thrown  a  ring 
of  steel  around  all  of  Belgium,  except  that 
forever  famous  little  northwestern  corner  that 
sheltered  the  beloved  King  Albert  and  his 
Queen  and  for  the  remainder  of  the  war  re- 
mained all  that  was  left  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Belgium  under  royal  rule. 

The  goose-stepping  lines  left  in  their  wake 
destroyed  railroads  and  tunnels,  blown-up 
bridges,  blocked  canals,  and  burning  homes 
and  factories.  All  postal,  telegraph  and  tele- 
phone systems  were  cut  off.     The  wheels  of 


ii8 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     Underwood  and   Underwood, 


Red  Cross  Trains  at  Antwerp 


A  view  of  the  mobilized  trains  of  the  Red  Cross  division  attached  to  the  Belgian  Army.     Thirty- 
eight  trains,  each  bearing  the  emblem  of  the  Army  of  Mercy,  are  shown  here  in  the  yards  at  Ant- 
werp, ready  for  service  in  the  field. 


industry  came  to  a  stop.  With  this  complete 
paralysis  of  all  internal  commerce,  Belgium's 
commercial  relations  with  the  outside  world 
ceased. 

The  Belgian  people  were  quick  to  see  the 
danger  of  hunger.  Stunned  for  a  brief  mo- 
ment by  the  shock,  of  events,  they  rose  bravely 
to  meet  the  peril.  A  royal  decree  of  August 
14  fixed  the  maximum  prices  on  the  chief 
articles  of  food  and  gave  to  the  governors  in 
their  provinces  and  burgomasters  in  their 
communes  the  right  to  requisition  any  private 
stocks  necessary  to  secure  the  provisioning  of 
the  population.  With  these  communal  ad- 
ministrations, there  sprang  up  a  great  num- 
ber and  variety  of  volunteer  relief  commit- 
tees to  feed  the  destitute  and  care  for  the 
thousands  of  refugees  that  daily  came  pouring 
in  from  the  devastated  and  fighting  areas. 

Chief  among  these  volunteer  relief  organi- 
zations was  that  of  Brussels,  the  capital  of 
Belgium.  It  was  this  organization  that  later 
was  destined  to  become  the  nucleus  of  the 
Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium.  In  the 
beginning,  however,  it  was  but  a  small  volun- 
teer committee  composed  of  a  few  American 
residents   in   Brussels  and  some  wealthy  and 


charitable  Belgians  of  that  city.  The  activities 
of  this  committee  were  limited  to  taking  care 
of  the  destitute  and  refugees  within  the  city 
of  Brussels  and  the  communes  immediately 
adjacent  to  it.  It  was  called  the  Comite  Cen- 
tral. 

AMERICANS  TO  THE  RESCUE 

It  was  soon  found,  however,  that  little  could 
be  done  unless  resources  were  made  available 
from  the  outside.  The  Americans  of  the  com- 
mittee then  decided,  as  neutrals,  to  take  up 
personally  with  the  German  military  authori- 
ties the  matter  of  imports.  The  neutral  stand- 
ing of  these  Americans  gave  them  a  peculiarly 
favorable  position  to  carry  on  negotiations 
with  the  German  authorities. 

Aided  and  abetted  always  by  Minister 
Brand  Whitlock  and  his  active  First  Secretary, 
Hugh  Gibson,  together  with  the  Spanish  Min- 
ister, the  Marquis  de  Villalobar,  these  ener- 
getic Americans  at  last  gained  their  point.  A 
general  permission  for  the  importation  of  food- 
stuffs into  Belgium  by  way  of  the  Dutch 
frontier  was  finally  obtained  from  the  Ger- 
man authorities,  together  with  the  guarantee 
that  all  such  imported  food  would  be  entirely 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


119 


free  from  requisition  by  the  German  army. 
Permission  was  given  Millard  Shaler,  an 
American  resident  in  Brussels,  who  from  the 
very  start  had  been  energetic  in  his  work  to 
alleviate  the"  sulifering  in  the  city,  to  go  to 
Holland  for  the  purchase  and  transportation 
into  Belgium  of  2,000  tons  of  foodstuffs. 

Upon  arriving  in  Holland,  although  the 
Dutch  government  granted  permission  to  Mr. 
Shaler  to  make  his  purchases  there,  if  neces- 
sary, it  was  nevertheless  urged  that  the  pur- 
chases be  made  in  England.  Holland  had 
need  of  all  the  food  within  her  boundaries. 

Thereupon  Mr.  Shaler  proceeded  to  Lon- 
don. Here,  aided  by  Mr.  Gibson,  who  had 
followed  him  to  England,  Mr.  Shaler  gained 
the  permission  of  the  British  government  to 
make  his  purchases  of  foodstuffs  for  the  needy 
in  Brussels.  With  the  guarantee  of  Germany 
that  none  of  these  foodstuffs  should  be  requi- 
sitioned by  them,  permission  was  given  to  ship 
the  foodstuffs  from  England  through  Holland 
into  Belgium. 

HERBERT    HOOVER    IN    CHARGE 

While  completing  these  arrangements,  Mr. 
Shaler  sought  to  interest  the  more  influential 
Americans  in  London  in  the  Belgian  work. 
Through  Edgar  Rickard,  an  American  min- 
ing engineer,  he  was  introduced  to  the  man, 
who,  through  his  high  spirit  of  devotion  and 
sacrifice,  his  untiring  energ\^  and  his  genius 
for  organizing  and  holding  the  confidence  of 
men,  was  destined  to  become,  among  other 
things,  the  leading  spirit  of  the  Commission 
for  Relief  in  Belgium. 

Herbert  Hoover,  then  the  leading  American 
mining  engineer  of  London,  was  even  at  that 
time  conspicuous  in  relief  work.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  assisting  and  repatriating  the  150,000 
American  citizens  who  found  themselves  in 
Europe  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  Mr. 
Hoover  had  organized  and  headed  an  organi- 
zation which  was  called  the  American  Relief 
Committee. 

Many  Americans  gratefully  remember  the 
sympathy  and  the  success  with  which  Mr. 
Hoover  and  his  little  band  of  friends  looked 
after  their  needs  and  interests  in  those  first  be- 
wildering weeks  of  the  war. 

It  was  but  a  logical  step  from  this  relief 
work,  which  was  now  complete,  to  the  new 


and  greater  philanthropic  undertaking.  Mr. 
Shaler  had  but  to  state  his  cause  and  Mr. 
Hoover  agreed  to  cooperate  in  every  way  pos- 
sible in  the  work  of  relieving  Belgium.  He 
was  backed  by  the  still  existing  American  Re- 
lief Committee,  which  promptly  became  the 
American  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium, 
with  Ambassador  Page  in  London  and  Min- 
isters Van  Dyke  and  Whitlock  at  the  Hague 
and  in  Brussels,  its  honorary  chairmen.  Mr. 
Hoover  remained  its  executive  head  from  the 
day  of  its  inception  to  the  end. 

The  purpose  of  this  committee  as  set  forth 
in  the  minutes  of  its  first  meeting,  October 
22,  1914,  was  as  follows:  "To  carry  into  ex- 
ecution the  engagements  undertaken  by  the 
American  Ambassadors  in  London  and  Brus- 
sels with  regard  to  provisioning  the  people  of 
Belgium."  These  were  the  first  and  last  min- 
utes of  the  organization.  After  the  original 
meeting  no  time  was  wasted  in  formalities  of 
such  a  character. 

With  this  simple  directness  the  most  gigan- 
tic relief  undertaking  that  the  world  has  ever 
seen  was  inaugurated.  The  sole  capital  of  the 
American  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium 
was  the  personality  and  business  efficiency  of 
the  little  group  of  Americans  who  were  its 
members,  and  an  all-abiding  faith  in  the  benev- 
olence of  the  American  people. 

With  characteristic  promptness  and  initia- 
tive this  new-formed  committee  began  to  open 
the  ways  and  means  of  pouring  foodstuffs  into 
Brussels.  It  was  now  the  middle  of  October, 
1914. 

In  the  meantime,  because  of  the  rapidly 
moving  events  within  Belgium,  it  became  ob- 
vious that  the  need  of  relief  was  not  local 
to  the  capital  or  to  a  few  large  cities.  It  in- 
volved the  entire  population  of  Belgium.  The 
solution  lay  in  a  national  organization,  one 
having  continuous  and  powerful  outside  help. 

On  October  15,  therefore,  the  Brussels 
Cottiitc  Central  held  a  meeting  to  consider  the 
establishment  of  an  organization  of  wider 
scope  and  one  which  should  cooperate  with 
the  American  organization  in  London.  At 
this  meeting  Messrs.  Francqui  and  Lambert 
were  delegated  to  proceed  to  London  to  con- 
fer with  the  Americans  on  this  matter. 

The  meeting  which  took  place  in  London 
on  October  igth  between  Messrs.  Hoover  and 
Francqui  was  one  of  the  most  momentous  in 


120 


THE  ARMIES  OF  IVIERCY 


A  Belgian  Relief  Ship 

All  the  way  from  America  to  feed  King  Albert's  starving  people. 


the  whole  history  of  Belgian  relief  work. 
Both  men  were  accustomed  to  large  business 
undertakings.  Both  had  had  world-wide  ex- 
perience.    Both  were  natural  leaders  of  men. 

Their  meeting  was  short,  but  to  the  point. 
Before  they  parted,  a  working  basis  of  the 
organization  had  been  outlined  by  them  even 
to  the  details  and  methods  of  arranging  for  the 
large  financial  measures  necessary  to  the  opera- 
tion of  the  organization. 

It  was  determined  that  the  Comite  Central 
of  Brussels  should  reorganize  as  a  Belgian 
National  Committee,  with  a  sub-committee  in 
each  of  the  provinces,  and  that  Americans 
should  be  dispatched  at  once  to  Belgium  to  act 
jointly  w'ith  the  National  Committee  and  the 
various  provincial  committees.  Soon  after 
Mr.  Francqui  returned  to  Brussels,  the 
Comite  Central  formally  made  itself  over  into 
the  Comite  Nationale  Beige  de  Secours  et  d' 
Alimentation. 

At  nearly  the  same  time  the  American  Re- 
lief in  Belgium  underwent  a  change  of  name. 
At  the  urgent  suggestion  of  Minister  Whit- 
lock,  Senor  Don  Merry  del  Val  (the  Spanish 
Ambassador  in  London)  and  the  Marquis  de 
Villalobar  (the  Spanish  Minister  in  Brussels), 
both  of  whom  had  been  consulted  in  the  ar- 
rangements in  Belgium  and  London,  were 
added  to  the  list  of  honorary  chairmen.     A 


little  later,  also,  there  were  added  the  names 
of  Mr.  Gerard,  the  American  Ambassador 
at  Berlin,  and  Jongkeer  de  Weede,  the  Dutch 
'  Minister  to  the  Belgian  Government  at  Le 
Havre.  The  names  of  the  Commission  was 
modified  by  dropping  the  "American." 

The  new  organization  thus  became  styled 
"The  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium," 
which  remained  its  official  title  to  the  last. 
With  characteristic  American  brevity  it  soon 
became  known  in  this  country  as  the  C.  R.  B. 

The  two  organizations,  the  Comite  Na- 
tionale Beige  de  Secours  et  d" Alimentation 
and  the  C.  R.  B.,  immediately  began  to  exer- 
cise that  close  cooperation  which  existed  be- 
tween them  throughout  the  work  of  Belgian 
relief.  Some  details  of  this  inter-relationship, 
a  clear  understanding  of  which  is  necessary 
to  a  comprehension  of  the  whole  relief  work, 
will  be  pointed  out  subsequently.  For  the 
moment  we  turn  to  survey  some  of  the  ob- 
stacles that  lay  within  the  first  steps  of  the 
C.  R.  B. 

PROBLEMS    OF    THE    BLOCKADE 

It  was  obvious,  of  course,  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  bring  food  to  Belgium  without 
an  agreement  between  the  belligerent  powers, 
or  rather  an  agreement  between  each  side  and 


Albert,  King  of  the  Belgians 

The  courage  and  perseverance  of  this  former  "King  without  a  Country"  have  been  remarkable.    His 
kindliness  and  democratic  ways  have  endeared  him  to  his  people. 


\ 


Vf^ 


Herbert  C.  Hoover 


©     Underwood  and  Underwood. 


The  American  Engineer,  who,  as  head  of  the  Relief  work  in  Belgium,  won  world-wide  fame,  is 
here  shown  in  his  scholastic  robes  prior  to  receiving  a  Doctor's   Degree  which   Brown   University 

conferred   upon   him   in  June,    1917. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


123 


©     Underwood  and   Underwood. 

War  Knitting  Bees  on  Central  Park  Mall,  New  York 

The  comforts  committee  of  the  Army  and  Navy   League  held  an   army  and  navy  knitting  bee   in 
Central  Park.     Any  man,  woman  or  child  who   could    knit    was    eligible    to    enter   the    contest    in 
competition  for  prizes.     Many  of  the  socks  and  sweaters  went  to  the  Belgians. 


the  relief  organization,  granting  certain  priv- 
ileges to  the  relief  body.  As  the  Allied  gov- 
ernments controlled  the  oceans  and  maintained 
a  blockade  of  the  Belgian  (now  essentially 
German)  coast,  it  was  necessary  to  secure 
laissez-passers  for  relief  ships  and  cargoes  on 
the  water,  and  permission  to  land  these  car- 
goes in  some  port  where  they  could  readily 
be  transported  into  Belgium,  and  later,  when 
there  was  need,  into  northern  France.  As 
the  Germans,  by  means  of  submarines,  kept 
alive  a  certain  danger  to  ocean  traffic,  a  simi- 
lar guarantee  was  necessary  that  the  ships  of 
the  C.  R.  B.  should  carry  no  contraband  of 
war. 

It  was  also  evident  that,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  Allied  governments  were  not  going  to 
allow  foodstuffs  to  be  taken  into  Belgium 
from  their  own  areas  and  from  overseas  ports 


without  being  certain  that  these  foodstuffs 
would  be  rigorously  restricted  to  the  use  of 
the  civil  population  in  the  occupied  territories. 
This  guarantee  had  to  be  obtained  from  the 
German  government  and  its  military  authori- 
ties. More  than  that,  it  would  have  been  ab- 
surd for  the  Allied  governments  to  allow 
foods  regularly  to  be  sent  into  Belgium  to  re- 
place similar  native  foodstuffs  as  regularly 
taken  out  by  the  Germans.  It  was  thus  neces- 
sary to  obtain  guarantees  that  the  drain  on 
the  natural  resources  of  the  occupied  terri- 
tories would  not  proceed  further,  at  least, 
than  that  which  permitted  support  of  the  oc- 
cupying army.  Later  the  Relief  Commission, 
largely  due  to  the  dauntless  efforts  of  its  chair- 
man, Mr.  Hoover,  was  able  to  obtain  guaran- 
tees much  better  than  this, — guarantees,  in 
fact,  that  the  native  Belgian  crops  should  not 


124 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


be  requisitioned   even   for  the   German   army 
of  occupation. 

The  Commission  held  itself  personally  and 
immediately  responsible  to  all  the  belligerent 
governments  for  the  carr\'ing  out  of  these 
guarantees.  This  explains  the  necessity  of  the 
C.  R.  B.'s  putting  a  working  force  of  Amer- 
ican members  into  Belgium.  These  forty  or 
more  Americans  had  immediate  oversight  and 
direct  control  of  all  distribution,  while  35,- 
000  Belgian  Committee  men  and  women  eag- 
erly volunteered  for  the  actual  distribution 
of  the  relief. 

In  the  course  of  securing  these  numerous 
guarantees  and  of  clearing  the  way  for  the 
building  of  a  bridge  of  mercy  between  the  two 
groups  of  belligerent  countries,  the  C.  R.  B. 
stepped  into  a  most  extraordinary  international 
position.  It  is  doubtful  if  this  position  will 
ever  again  be  duplicated  by  a  private  organi- 
zation. The  C.  R.  B.  had  the  official  recog- 
nition from  the  start  of  both  belligerent  and 
neutral  nations.  This  recognition  was  always 
much  more  than  formal  and  passive.  Bel- 
gium, England,  and  France  gave  active  finan- 
cial assistance  in  the  way  of  large  subventions. 
Holland  gave  the  C.  R.  B.  free  use  of  har- 
bors, canals,  railroads,  telegraphs,  and  tele- 
phones. Even  Germany  ceded  and  reduced 
freight  rates  and  remitted  canal  tolls  and  cus- 
tom duties  in  the  territories  her  army  occu- 
pied. 

All  the  belligerents  gave  extraordinary  con- 
cessions and  aid  in  connection  with  the  move- 
ment of  the  C.  R.  B.'s  members  and  the  car- 
riage and  reduced  censorship  of  their  mails. 
Members  of  the  C.  R.  B.  crossed  the  English 
Channel  in  convoyed  English  despatch  boats, 
passed  through  closed  frontiers,  and  went  in 
their  swift  motors  over  all  the  occupied  terri- 
tories where  no  other  cars  were  to  be  seen 
save  powerful  gray  German  military  cars. 
Some  of  the  C.  R.  B.  men  actually  lived  at 
one  time  at  the  Great  Headquarters  of  all  the 
German  armies  of  the  West. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  the  Commission  for 
Relief  in  Belgium  did  not  immediately  arrive 
at  the  position  outlined  above,  where  all  the 
obstacles  were  cleared  and  the  machinery  of 
daily  buying,  transporting  and  delivering  food 
into  Belgium  could  run  smoothly.  In  the  in- 
terim there  were  innumerable  and  intermin- 
able diplomatic  negotiations  to  be  handled ;  ir- 


ritating delays  to  be  borne  with  patience;  and 
misunderstandings  to  be  cleared. 


HOOVER    MEETS    LLOYD    GEORGE 

We  will  pass  over  all  these  details  of  clear- 
ing a  way  except  one ;  the  momentous  meeting 
on  January  21,  191 5,  of  Mr.  Hoover  with 
Mr.  Lloyd  George,  then  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer.  The  primary  occasion  of  this 
meeting  was  the  discussion  of  the  financial 
arrangements  of  the  Commission,  but  the  talk 
soon  touched  the  fundamental  matter  of  con- 
tinuance of  relief  work  at  all,  because  of  its 
military  disadvantage  to  the  Allies. 

IVIr.  Hoover's  memorandum  of  this  discus- 
sion, made  immediately  after  the  meeting,  is 
quoted  in  full : 

"Mr.  Lloyd  George  stated  that  he  felt  that, 
indirect  as  the  matter  was,  it  was  certainly  as- 
sisting the  enemy  and  that  this  assistance 
would  take  place  in  several  ways.  In  the  first 
instance,  we  were  giving  the  Belgians  more 
food  resources  with  which  to  stand  requisitions 
in  food  by  the  Germans ;  we  were  giving  them 
more  resources  generally  with  which  to  stand 
momentary  levies  and  that,  beyond  all  this, 
in  relieving  the  Germans  from  the  necessity  of 
feeding  the  civil  population,  we  were  directly 
prolonging  the  war,  which  was  bound  to  be 
largely  one  of  economic  character,  and  that 
economic  pressure  was  the  principal  method 
by  which  the  Allies  would  ultimately  win. 
He  expressed  the  belief  that  the  Germans 
would,  in  the  last  resort,  provision  the  people 
of  Belgium,  and  that  our  action  was  akin  to 
provisioning  the  civil  population  of  a  besieged 
city,  and  thus  prolonging  the  resistance  of  the 
garrison.  He  was,  for  these  reasons,  wholly 
opposed  to  our  operations,  benevolent  and  hu- 
mane as  they  were,  and  therefore  he  could  not 
see  his  way  to  grant  our  request. 

"I  pointed  out,  first,  that  as  to  the  requisi- 
tioning of  food,  the  Germans  had  given  an 
undertaking  that,  after  the  first  of  January, 
no  such  requisitions  would  be  made,  and  I 
read  out  to  him  the  undertaking  which  had 
been  given  to  the  American  Minister  in  Ber- 
lin, and  informed  him  that  we  were  satisfied, 
from  the  many  agents  whom  we  had  in  Bel- 
gium, that  the  Germans  were  carrying  this 
out  with  the  utmost  scrupulousness.  I  fur- 
thermore informed  him  that  the  Germans  had 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


12  = 


New  York  Firemen  Knitting 


©      Underu'ood  and   Underwood. 


They  were  not  to  be  outdone  by  their  wives  and  sisters  but  turned  the  heels  of  socks  and  finished 

off  helmets  for  the  Belijian  refuirees. 


impressed  none  of  our  actual  food.  Also  I 
stated  that  I  did  not  believe  that  the  feeding 
of  the  civil  population  increased  the  resources 
which  they  had  available  for  money  levies. 
We  were  introducing  no  new  money  into  Bel- 
gium, but  were  simply  giving  circulation  to 
that  already  existing,  and  that  there  was  no 
danger  of  the  Germans  taking  the  money 
which  we  collected  for  foodstuffs,  because 
that  was,  in  effect,  in  the  possession  of  the 
American    Minister. 

"On  the  second  point,  as  to  whether  the 
Germans  would  ultimately  provision  the  civil 
population,  I  told  him  that  I  was  satisfied  that 
they  would  not  do  so;  that  when  we  under- 
took this  labor  we  undertook  it  with  the  ut- 
most reluctance,  and  our  first  move  was  to 
satisfy  ourselves  that  this  population  would 
starve  unless  America  intervened  and  con- 
verted the  hitherto  negative  quality  of  neu- 
trality into  one  of  positive  neutrality;  that, 
as  proof  that  the  Germans  would   not   pro- 


vision the  civil  population,  I  thought  it  was 
desirable  that  he  should  understand  the  Ger- 
man views  on  this  question,  and  1  recited  to 
him  the  confirmation  by  the  German  military 
of  the  current  statement  made  in  Germany 
that  there  was  no  clause  in  the  Hague  Con- 
vention obliging  the  Germans  to  provision  the 
civil  population  of  Belgium,  but  that,  on  the 
contrary,  it  incidentally  provided  that  the  civil 
population  should  support  the  military. 

"I  told  him  further,  that  the  Germans  con- 
tended that  the  Belgians  were  a  people  of 
great  resources;  that  these  resources  would 
become  valuable  at  once  on  a  partial  recovery 
of  industry ;  that  this  recovery  of  industry 
could  take  place  the  instant  that  they  were 
given  a  port  through  which  they  could  trade 
with  the  neutral  world  ;  that  in  taking  the  port 
of  Antwerp  and  opening  it  to  neutral  ships 
they  had  given  the  Belgian  civil  population  a 
means  of  provisioning  themselves,  but  that 
this  outlet  had   been   blocked   by  the   British 


126 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


3     Underwood  end   Underwood. 

Storing  the  Bundles 

Each  bundle  was  a  message  of  cheer  and  comfort  to  the  Belgian  refugee  to  whom  it  was  destined. 


Navy,  and  the  British  must  therefore  bear  the 
responsibility.  Further,  that  the  Belgian  pop- 
ulation, by  continuing  its  hostility  and  its  pas- 
sive resistance,  was  assisting  the  Allies  by  com- 
pelling the  Germans  to  operate  the  public 
services,  rendering  trade  useless  to  them,  and 
requiring  from  them  a  considerable  army  of 
occupation,  and  that,  as  the  Allies  do  all  this, 
they  must  take  the  responsibility  of  these  peo- 
ple starving.  Furthermore,  the  Germans  con- 
tend that,  while  they  have  ample  food  supplies 
to  carry  their  own  people  through  the  strug- 
gle, they  have  not  sufficient  to  carry  on  their 
backs  the  10,000,000  people  in  Belgium  and 
France  inside  their  lines  and  that,  as  they 
are  struggling  for  national  existence,  they  must 
feed  their  own  people  and  attend  to  their  mili- 
tary exigencies  first. 

"I  pointed  out  that  I  did  not  offer  these 
arguments  as  my  own,  but  to  illustrate  the 
fixity  of  mind  by  which  the  German  people 
justified  their  action  in  refusing  to  feed  the 
Belgians,  and  asked  him  if  he  could  conceive 


for  one  moment  that,  with  this  mental  attitude 
of  conviction  on  their  part  that  they  are  right 
and  the  Allies  wrong,  they  would  be  likely  to 
feed  the  Belgians.  I  pointed  out  that  starva- 
tion had  actually  occurred  in  Belgium  before 
we  had  begun  work;  that  some,  although  per- 
haps little,  riot  had  occurred,  but  sufficient  to 
indicate  the  fixity  of  the  Germans  in  their  in- 
tentions. I  further  pointed  out  the  position 
of  the  French  people  in  the  Meuse  Valley, 
who  had  not  had  our  assistance,  and  were 
already  dying  of  starvation  although  under 
German  occupation,  and  I  expressed  the  con- 
viction that  the  Germans  would  never  feed  the 
civil  population. 

"Mr.  Lloyd  George  denounced  the  whole 
of  this  as  a  monstrous  attitude,  to  which  I  re- 
plied that,  be  that  as  it  might,  one  matter 
stood  out  in  my  mind,  and  that  was  that  the 
English  people  had  undertaken  this  war  for 
the  avowed  purpose  of  protecting  the  existence 
of  small  nations,  of  vindicating  the  principle 
of  guaranteed  neutrality  by  which  small  na- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


127 


tfons  might  exist  for  the  avowed  purpose  of 
guaranteeing  to  the  world  the  continuance 
of  democracy  as  against  autocracy  in  govern- 
ment, and  that  it  would  be  empty  victory  if 
one  of  the  most  democratic  of  the  world's  races 
should  be  extinguished  in  the  process,  and  ulti- 
mate victory  should  be  marked  by  an  empty 
husk.  I  said  that  the  English  people  were 
great  enough  to  disregard  the  doubtful  value 
of  military  advantages  in  favor  of  assurances 
that  these  people  should  survive,  and  I  felt 
the  obligation  went  even  further  than  mere 
acquiescence  in  our  work,  and  extended  to  an 
opportunity  to  the  English  to  add  to  their 
laurels  by  showing  magnanimity  toward  these 
people,  a  magnanimity  which  would  outlast 
all  the  bitterness  of  this  war. 

"Mr.  Lloyd  George  then  stated  to  his  col- 
leagues abruptly:  'I  am  convinced.  You 
have  my  permission.  I  would  be  obliged  if  you 
gentlemen  would  settle  the  details  of  the  ma- 
chinery necessary  to  carry  it  out.'  Then,  turn- 
ing to  me,  he  said  that  I  would  forgive  him 
for  running  away,  but  that  he  felt  the  world 
would  yet  be  indebted  to  the  American  people 
for  the  most  magnanimous  action  which  neu- 
trality had  yet  given  rise  to." 

This  interest  ultimately  led  to  the  granting 
of  a  subvention  of  $5,000,000  a  month  from 
the  British  and  French  governments,  passed 
to  the  Commission  through  the  Belgian  gov- 
ernment. 

It  was  this  basis  of  subsidies,  in  the  form 
of  loans  to  the  Belgian  government,  that  the 
Commission  continued  throughout  over  four 
years.  The  amount  of  the  subsidies  was  in- 
creased from  time  to  time  as  the  territory  to 
be  fed  increased  and  as  the  price  of  food  rose 
in  the  world  markets.  The  Commission  also 
had  at  hand  funds  sent  to  carry  on  its  great 
humanitarian  work  from  relief  committees 
all  over  the  world. 

THE  FIRST  FOOD  REACHES  BELGIUM 

But  all  this  "oiling  of  the  wheels"  took 
time.  Meanwhile  what  was  happening  to 
Belgium?  We  have  explained  that  her  need 
for  food  sent  from  the  outside  was  imperative 
and  immediate.  Was  she  to  be  left  to  starve 
until  the  machinery  set  up  to  pour  food  into 
the  country  could  be  started  to  run  smoothly? 

It  is  a  tribute  to  the  untiring  efforts  and 


initiative  of  the  little  group  of  American  men 
who  carried  the  responsibility  of  the  C.  R.  B, 
on  their  shoulders  that  during  all  the  critical 
time  of  organization  and  launching  of  their 
project,  they  somehow  found  the  ways  and 
means  of  keeping  a  steady  and  increasingly 
large  flow  of  food  into  Belgium.  They  had  to 
do  this,   if  the  Belgians  were  not  to  starve. 

The  first  shipment  of  2,500  tons  left  Lon- 
don on  October  30,  19 14.  The  Commission 
had  already  opened  an  office  in  Rotterdam 
to  arrange  for  the  transportation  of  food  car- 
goes into  the  interior  of  Belgium. 

On  November  4  the  first  few  hundred  tons 
of  food  arrived  at  Brussels  in  sealed  canal 
barges  bearing  white  banners  on  which  were 
lettered  in  red  "Commission  for  Relief  in  Bel- 
gium." 

At  sight  of  this  phj'sical  assurance  of  a 
helping  hand  from  the  outside  world,  hope 
dawned  in  the  heart  of  Belgium — a  hope 
which  later,  ever  borne  up  by  the  assistance 
tended  by  the  C.  R.  B.,  flowered  into  that 
beautiful  national  spirit  and  stoical  resolution 
in  the  face  of  great  suffering,  that  was  to 
immortalize  the  Belgian  people. 

From  October  22nd  of  19 14  to  the  end 
of  their  need,  food  was  sent  daily  into  Bel- 
gium by  the  C.  R.  B.  against  all  the  odds  of 
the  elements  or  sudden  emergencies  brought 
on  by  war  conditions.  This  had  to  be, 
whether  the  foodstuffs  became  frozen  fast  in 
the  canals  and  rivers  of  Belgium,  as  they 
did  in  February,  191 7,  or  were  "accidentally" 
sunk  by  some  German  submarine  captain, — as 
a  few  were. 

All  of  this  food  for  Belgium  did  not 
come  from  America.  Rice  was  brought 
from  Rangoon,  corn  from  Argentina,  and 
beans  from  Manchuria.  America  contributed 
more  beans,  and,  most  important  of  all,  meat 
and  wheat.  The  rest  of  the  items  of  Belgium's 
grocery  list,  sugar,  condensed  milk,  coffee, 
cocoa,  salt,  salad  oil,  yeast,  dried  fish,  etc.,  in 
great  quantities  were  bought  where  the  mar- 
kets were  the  lowest  and  the  transportation 
problem  the  simplest. 

The  food  was  regularly  landed  in  Rotter- 
dam and  then  speedil}'  transferred  from  ocean 
vessels  into  canal  boats.  Strings  of  these  food- 
laden  canal  boats  were  daily  pulled  by  tugs 
or  driven  by  their  own  gasoline  engines  along 
the  tortuous  waterwajs  of  Holland  and  over 


128 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


^kSif^' 


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Poster:  Ruined  Belgium 


the  Belgian  frontier  with  its  fatal  electrified 
wire.  Here  they  went  down  the  canals  and 
rivers  of  Belgium,  where  the  food  crates  were 
unloaded  again  and  packed  on  to  railroad  cars 
and  horse-drawn  carts  to  be  taken  to  the  com- 
munal w'arehouses.  Hence,  they  were  dis- 
tributed to  the  soup  kitchens  and  public  can- 
teens. 


Nothing  simpler?  But  remember  the  com- 
plete paralysis  of  all  means  of  transportation 
in  Belgium,  immediately  following  the  occu- 
pation of  the  German  army.  Canals  in  many 
cases  had  been  blocked,  locks  blown  up,  and 
barges  sunk  in  narrow  waterways.  In  addi- 
tion, most  of  the  rolling  stock  of  the  Belgian 
railroads   had    been    run    off    into   France   in 


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THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


front  of  the  advancing  German  armies,  and 
many  of  the  railroad  bridges  had  been  de- 
stroyed. All  lines  of  communication  not  ren- 
dered inoperative  were  taken  over  by  the  army 
and  restricted  to  military  use. 

100,000  TONS  OF  FOOD  A  MONTH 

In  the  face  of  these  very  real  difficulties  and, 
in  addition,  the  often  antagonistic  attitude  of 
the  Germans,  even  when  they  pretended  to 
be  willing  to  help,  fhe  C.  R.  B.  handled  a 
steady  flow  of  food  of  almost  one  hundred 
thousand  tons  a  month  with  a  record  speed 
and  economy.  On  a  single  day  in  October, 
191 6,  19,557  tons  of  foodstuffs  were  started 
off  for  Belgium  from  Rotterdam.  This  meant 
the  getting  away  of  a  fleet  of  nearly  sixty 
boats. 

As  proof  of  the  miraculous  economy  with 
which  the  Commission  handled  its  foodstuffs, 
there  is  the  startling  fact  that  bread  sold  in 
Belgium  at  a  price  equal  to  that  in  London 
or  Paris  and,  many  times,  considerably 
cheaper. 

There  is  no  truer  measure  of  the  American 
business  efficiency  with  which  all  matters  per- 
taining to  the  C.  R.  B.  were  handled  than 
this.  It  is  only  fair  to  add  that  the  C.  R.  B. 
could  not  have  accomplished  its  work  with 
such  a  record  of  economy  without  havmg  its 
overhead  expenses  minimized  by  the  volun- 
teered services  of  a  large  per  cent,  of  its  of- 
ficials and  the  generous  and  liberal  concessions 
made  it  by  commercial  firms,  banks,  and  trans- 
portation companies. 

Once  the  food  arrived  in  the  needy  areas, 
it  was  distributed  by  an  elaborate  system, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  forty  or  less 
American  members  of  the  C.  R.  B.  who 
were  stationed  in  Belgium  and  Northern 
France.  The  smallest  unit  in  this  system  was 
the  commune.  Belgium  was  divided  into  3,000 
of  these  communes  and  occupied  France,  the 
relief  of  which  the  C.  R.  B.  took  over  in 
March,  191 5,  was  divided  into  2,000  com- 
munes. These  all  had  their  local  committees 
headed  by  the  burgomaster  or  mayor.  These 
committees  controlled  the  communal  ware- 
houses and  issued  food  rations  from  them. 
They  were  linked  in  turn  to  regional  com- 
mittees in  control  of  the  regional  warehouses, 
and  those   regional   committees  were   directly 


responsible  to  the  district  committees  of  dis- 
tribution. Over  all  was  the  Comite  Nationale 
Beige  de  Secours  et  d' Alimentation  with  its 
very  able  president,  Mr.  Emile  Francqui.  In 
addition  to  these  committees  there  were  hun- 
dreds of  volunteer  special  committees  whose 
purpose  was  to  supervise  special  benevolent 
activities  like  the  distribution  of  little  luxuries 
to  the  sick,  the  special  care  accorded  to  de- 
bilitated children,  and  the  discreet  giving  of 
charity  to  the  "ashamed  poor,"  who  were  too 
proud  to  be  seen  in  a  public  soup  line. 

BREAD    CARDS   AND   "bAKERS'    COURTs" 

An  exception  to  this  general  system  was 
the  distribution  of  the  breadstufis  which 
formed  the  basis  of  the  whole  "relief  ration." 
Both  the  Belgian  and  French  are  essentially 
bread-eating  people.  They  have  always  relied 
more  on  bread  in  their  diet  than  is  customary 
with  most  Americans.  Moreover,  neither  the 
Belgians  nor  French  are  in  the  habit  of  baking 
their  bread  at  home,  as  is  done  in  so  many 
American  homes. 

This  latter  fact  aided  rather  than  hindered 
the  problem  of  the  fair  distribution  of  bread- 
stuffs.  The  Commission  not  only  took  over 
all  importing  of  flour,  but  all  milling  and 
baking.  Certain  amounts  of  wheat  to  be 
milled  were  given  each  mill ;  the  kind  of 
flour  to  be  made  was  determined,  and  finally 
the  distribution  to  the  bakers  adjusted  in  de- 
tail. No  baker  who  made  bread  from  relief 
flour  could  use  any  other  flour.  He  was 
assigned  certain  amounts  at  definite  periods 
and  from  these  amounts  he  had  to  produce  so 
many  loaves  of  a  determined  quality  and 
weight.  These  loaves  he  was  required  to  give 
only  to  certain  listed  canteens  or  communal 
depots,  or  to  a  listed  number  of  clients,  each 
of  whom  was  furnished  with  a  personal  or 
family  bread  card.  This  bread  card  stated 
specifically  the  price  at  which  the  bread  was 
to  be  bought  and  the  amount  which  could  be 
sold  to  the  holder. 

The  baker's  profit  was  determined  by  the 
relief  organization,  and  for  any  infraction  of 
the  regulations  governing  him  or  his  work 
he  was  ordered  before  a  "baker's  court." 
These  courts  were  wholly  outside  any  Belgian 
or  German  legality  and  presided  over  by  mem- 
bers  of   the   relief   organization.      There   the 

VII— 9 


i!)     Broun  Bros. 

The  Duchess  of  Marlborough 

Like  many  other  English  women  of  rank,  she  gave   her  services   to  her   country   as   a   Red   Cross 

Nurse  in  Belgium  and  France. 


132 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


baker  was  warned,  or  flour  withheld  from  him 
for  a  week  or  fortnight  or  a  month  or  for  all 
the  rest  of  the  time  of  the  relief  work,  accord- 
ing to  the  seriousness  of  his  offense. 

Offenses  on  the  part  of  the  customer,  as, 
for  example,  attempted  padding  of  the  family 
list  or  attempts  to  get  on  the  rolls  of  more 
than  one  baker,  were  promptly  made  known 
by  the  neighbors,  and  proper  penalties  enforced. 
In  this  way  the  Commission  had  absolute  con- 
trol over  the  breadstuffs  and  could  distribute 
the  thin  supply  so  that  it  would  reach  all. 

The  flour  from  which  bread  was  made  was 
derived  from  wheat  milled  at  80  per  cent, 
to  97  per  cent,  (changing  with  the  varying 
need  at  different  times  of  "stretching"  the 
wheat),  mixed  with  a  varying  percentage  of 
flour  made  from  other  cereals,  such  as  rye, 
barley,  corn  and  rice. 

FEEDIXG  THE  DESTITUTE 

'  The  actual  provisioning  of  the  people  from 
the  point  of  view  of  organization  fell  into 
three  classes:  food  to  the  absolutely  destitute; 
food  to  the  working  people  of  small  means; 
food  to  the  middle  and  upper  classes. 

Every  destitute  person  in  each  community 


became  the  subject  of  special  investigation  by 
the  Communal  officers.  If  the  case  warranted, 
he  was  given  a  free  non-transferable  ticket 
which  entitled  him  to  a  definite  daily  ration 
at  a  Communal  canteen  or  "soup  line."  This 
ration  usually  took  the  form  of  a  pint  of  soup 
and  twelve  ounces  of  bread.  These  "free 
rations"  were  made  possible  partly  by  local 
subscriptions,  partly  through  the  results  of  the 
Commission's  charitable  appeals,  and  partly 
through  the  profits  realized  in  the  Commis- 
sion's handling  of  the  rations. 

Even  as  soon  as  the  end  of  19 16  there  were 
over  a  million  and  a  half  people  standing  daily 
in  these  public  soup  lines,  directly  dependent 
on  charity  for  their  sustenance. 

Those  who  could  afford  to  pay  for  their 
ration  (the  cost  was  about  eight  cents  a  day), 
did  so.  Their  food  was  rationed  to  them  by 
household  cards.  The  amount  of  the  ration 
varied  according  to  the  abundance  or  scarcity 
of  food  available  in  different  localities  or  at 
different  seasons.  In  general,  however,  the 
relief  ration  in  Belgium  averaged: 

Bread   (11  ounces). 

Bacon    (trifle  over   10  oz.). 

Lard   (trifle  over  -/.,  oz.). 

Dried  beans  and  peas  (1^/3  oz.). 


Red  Cross  Poster 


Courtesy  Red  Cross  Magazine. 


If  anything,  the  problem  of  the  nation  is  the  problem  of  its  children.     They  will  suffer  or  profit 

by    every   provision   or   neglect. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


133 


Cerealine  (1-/3  oz.). 
Potatoes  (10V2  oz.). 
Brown  sugar  (trifle  over  ~/>). 
This  ration  in  its  entirety  amounted  to 
about879grammes,  orjoV^ounces,  in  weight. 
The  protein  content  in  it  was  about  45 
grammes  and  the  fat  content  about  43 
grammes.  It  was  capable  of  producing  nearly 
2,000  ultilizable  calories,  which  was  almost 
sufficient  for  an  ordinary  individual  doing  no 
work.  For  a  working  man,  however,  it  was 
hardly  more  than  half  enough. 
»  Yet  many  Belgians  did  live  and  work  on 
this  ration  almost  exclusively  for  three  years. 
It  was  the  best  that  could  be  given  them,  in 
consideration  of  the  limitations  made  impera- 
tive by  existing  conditions.  These  limitations 
made  it  necessary  that  the  food  given  should  be 
easily  transportable,  storable  nnd  divisible. 
In  planning  the  ration,  it  also  had  to  be  borne 
in  mind  that  only  those  foods  that  would 
make  the  funds  at  the  disposal  of  the  C.  R.  B. 
go  as  far  and  as  effectively  as  possible  could 
be  considered. 

Those  who  could  afford  it,  supplemented 
this  ration  with  certain  native  supplies,  as 
vegetables,  fruit,  milk,  eggs,  and  meat  when 
it  was  to  be  had. 

In  the  revictualing  of  Northern  France, 
the  Commission  w-as  able,  more  than  was  ever 
possible  in  Belgium,  to  institute  a  precise  ra- 
tion. This  was  made  possible  by  the  definite 
knowledge  in  France  of  just  how  much  flour 
and  potatoes  of  the  native  crops  were  available 
to  the  civilian  population,  a  thing  that  could 
never  be  accurately  reckoned  in  Belgium. 

The  daily  ration  in  Northern  France  as 
provided  for  by  the  Commission  was; 

Bread  (trifle  over  7  ounces). 

Dried  peas  and  beans  (trifle  over  i  ounce). 

Rice   (trifle  over  2  ounces). 

Bacon  and  lard  (i'*/^  ounces). 

Coffee   (*/-  ounce). 

Condensed  milk  (a  little  less  than  I  ounce). 

Sugar   (^/^  ounce). 

Maize  products    {''/.  ounce). 

Dried  fish   (trifle  over  ^/,  ounce). 

Biscuits  for  children  and  the  infirm  ("/? 
ounce). 

In  addition  to  this  ration  there  were  at 
times  small  quantities  to  be  distributed  of  co- 
coa (for  children  and  sick),  cheese,  torrealine 
(a  roasted  grain  substitute  for  coffee),  salad 


oil,   chicory,   vinegar,    and   pepper.      Salt  was 
mostly  obtained  from  the  Germans. 

At  varying  intervals  also,  the  small  ration 
of  flour  (wheat,  rj'e  and  straw  mixed),  and 
potatoes,  which  Germany,  under  vigorous  per- 
suasion of  the  C.  R.  B.,  promised  the  inhabi- 
tants of  occupied  France,  was  obtainable.  But 
this  ration  was  never  dependable. 

CARING    FOR    HELPLESS   CHILDREN 

From  the  start,  the  children  of  Belgium 
and  France  were  made  the  subject  of  universal 
solicitude  and  received  special  care  from  a 
multitude  of  organizations,  embracing  not  only 
communal  and  special  committees  of  the  Re- 
lief Organization,  but  also  the  many  already 
established  children's  institutions  of  Belgium 
and  France. 

Due  directly  to  war  causes  and  family  dis- 
organization brought  on  by  the  war,  thou- 
sands of  homeless  children  were  turned  adrift 
in  both  the  occupied  countries.  Belgium 
and  France  felt  very  strongly  not  only 
that  these  children  were  their  own  particular 
charge,  but  that  they  should  be  preserved  to 
them.  They,  therefore,  gathered  them  into 
institutions  or  provided  support  for  them  in 
private  families,  and  consistently  refused  all 
suggestions  to  take  them  abroad,  no  matter 
how  tempting  were  the  offers. 

The  institutions  for  homeless  children,  in 
the  face  of  reduced  incomes  and  very  much 
enlarged  demands,  were  forced  more  and  more 
as  the  war  went  on  to  depend  on  the  Relief 
Organization  for  food,  clothing,  and  running 
expenses. 

For  the  relief  of  children  in  their  homes 
there  were  three  main  agencies:  the  children's 
canteens,  known  as  the  sou  pes  scolaire,  the 
canteens  for  weakly  children  {etifants  dcbiles) , 
and  baby  canteens  {goutte  de  lait)  for  the 
infants  of  the  pcjor. 

The  school  children's  canteens  {soupes  sco- 
laire) were  organized  for  the  relief  of  boys 
and  girls  from  three  to  fourteen.  Practically 
every  school  in  Belgium  and  Northern  France 
was  associated  with  one  of  these  canteens. 

In  contrast  to  the  method  of  feeding  adults, 
where  the  soup  and  bread  given  them  at  a 
canteen  was  taken  home  to  eat,  the  chil- 
dren ate  their  meals  at  the  canteen.  Usually 
this    meal    consisted    of    a    slice    of    bread,    a 


Belgian  Kiddies  Greet  a  British  Tommy 

The  Committee  of  Mercy  or  The  White  Cross  was  organized  to  help  take  care  of  such  innocent 

victims  of  the  war  as  these. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


135 


The  Santa  Claus  Ship 

The    U.    S.    S.    Jason    loaded    with    millions    of    gifts  for  war  orphans  arrived  at  Plymouth,  Eng., 
in   time   to   bring   Christmas   gifts   to   thousands   of  children   made  homeless  by  the  war. 


bowl  of  soup,  and,  when  possible,  a  dish  of 
rice,  potatoes,  or  some  other  vegetable  dish. 
No  limit  was  placed  on  the  quantity  of  soup 
to  be  had.  A  child  might  have  one,  two,  or 
three  bowls,  according  to  his  appetite,  as  in 
many  cases  this  was  the  only  "square  meal" 
he  had  during  the  entire  day.  Many  of  the 
children  after  this  meal  went  to  homes  where 
the  kitchen  larder  was  swept  bare. 

The  special  canteens  for  weakly  children 
(enfants  dcbiles) ,  gave  a  nourishing  general 
diet  containing,  when  they  were  to  be  had, 
such  native  rarities  as  meat,  eggs,  and  milk. 
These  canteens  were  opened  in  vacant  stores, 
cellars,  private  homes,  garages,  in  fact,  wher- 
ever there  was  available  space.  But  no  matter 
how  inconvenient  the  building,  skilful  women 
at  once  transformed  it  into  a  clean,  cheery 
place  where  sub-normal  children  could  come 
for  a  free,  wholesome  meal,  based  on  scientific 
analj^sis  of  food  values.  The  children  in 
these  canteens  also  received  free  medical  atten- 
tion from  some  already  overworked,  but  big- 
hearted  doctor,  who  volunteered  his  services. 

Infants  under  three  years  were  looked  after 
by  the  organization  called  Goutte  de  Lait 
(Drop  of  Milk)  which  existed  in  practically 
every  important  town  and  village.  Babies  of 
poor  mothers  were  furnished  here  daily,  and 
free   of  charge,    fresh,   pure   milk.      In   these 


canteens,  also,  mothers  were  required  to  bring 
their  babies  for  periodical  medical  inspection, 
in  order  that  food  might  be  prepared  suitable 
to  the  different  stages  of  the  baby's  progress. 
Light  work,  like  the  peeling  of  vegetables, 
was  often  required  from  the  mothers  in  return. 

In  addition  to  these  canteens  for  children 
there  were  also  canteens  where  pregnant 
mothers  and  those  nursing  babies  could  receive 
a  wholesome  and  sustaining  diet  without 
charge,  or  for  the  very  small  sum  they  could 
afford  to  pay. 

This  is  the  story  in  facts  and  figures  of  the 
actual  provisioning  of  the  populace.  How 
translate  it  into  the  human  terms  of  tears  and 
laughter,  of  sacrifice  and  courage?  How  pic- 
ture the  unceasing,  untiring  toil  of  the  thou- 
sands of  brave-hearted  men  and  women  who 
made  it  all  possible? 

A  TYPICAL  SOUP  LINE 

Two  pictures  must  suffice,  one  of  a  soup 
line  in  Brussels,  the  other  of  a  meal  at  a  can- 
teen for  sub-normal  children.  Both  were 
penned  by  a  woman  who,  as  the  only  woman 
member  of  the  Commission  for  Relief  in  Bel- 
gium, had  the  privilege  of  seeing  the  human 
side  of  the  relief  work  at  first  hand. 

The   two    following   quotations    are   taken 


136 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


crwood. 


The  Duchess  of  Westminster  and  Her  Red  Cross  Nurses 


The  photo  was  taken  aboard  Sir  Thomas  Lipton's  private  Yacht  Ei-in  en  route  to  Havre  for  serv- 
ice in  France  and  Belgium.    Sir  Thomas  is  shown  in  the  center,  with  the  Duchess  of  Westminster  at 

his   left. 


from  Women  of  Belgium  by  Charlotte  Kel- 
logg: 

"One  may  hate  war,  but  never  as  it  should 
be  hated  until  he  has  visited  the  communal 
soupes  and  the  homes  represented  by  the  lines. 
The  work  must  be  so  carefully  systematized 
that  there  is  only  time  for  a  word  or  two  as 
they  pass  the  table.  But  that  word  is  enough 
to  reveal  the  tragedy !  There  are  sometimes 
the  undeserving,  but  it  is  not  often  that  any 
of  the  thousands  who  file  by  are  not  in  pitiful 
straits.  That  morning  the  saddest  were  the 
very  old.  For  them  the  men  had  always  a 
kindlv  'How  is  it,  mother?'  'How  goes  it, 
father?' 

"The  ']\Ierci,  Alonsieur,  ?nerci  beaucoup' 
of  one  sweet-faced  old  woman  w-as  so  evi- 
dently the  expression  of  genuine  feeling,  that 
I  asked  about  her.  She  had  three  sons,  who 
had  supported  her  well.  All  three  were  in  the 
trenches.  Another  still  older,  said  'Thank 
you  very  much,'  in  familiar  English.  She,  too, 
had  been  caught  in  the  net,  and  there  was  no 
work.  A  little  Spanish  woman  had  lost  her 
husband  soon  after  the  war  began,  and  the 
director  who  investigated   the  case  was  con- 


vinced that  he  had  died  of  hunger.  An  old 
French  soldier  on  a  crutch,  but  not  too  feeble 
to  bow  low  as  he  said  'I\Ierci/  was  an  unfor- 
gettable figure. 

"Some  of  the  verj^  old  and  very  weak  are 
given  supplementary  tickets  which  entitle  them 
to  small  portions  of  white  bread,  more  adapted 
to  their  needs  than  the  stern  war  bread  of  the 
C.  R.  B.;  and  every  two  days  mothers  are  al- 
lowed additional  bread  for  their  children. 
One  curly-haired  little  girl  was  following  her 
mother  and  grandmother,  and  slipped  out  of 
the  line  to  offer  a  tiny  hand.  Then  came  a 
tall,  distinguished-looking  man,  about  whom 
the  directors  knew  little,  except  that  he  was 
absolutely  without  funds.  They  put  kindly 
questions  to  the  poor  hunchback,  who  had 
just  returned  to  the  line  from  the  hospital, 
and  congratulated  the  pretty  girl  of  fifteen, 
who  had  w'on  all  the  term's  prizes  in  the  com- 
munal school.  There  w^ere  those  who  had 
never  succeeded  ;  then  there  were  those  w'ho 
two  years  before  had  been  comfortable  rail- 
way employees,  artists,  men  and  women, 
young  and  old,  in  endless  procession,  a  large 
proportion  in  carpet  slippers,  or  other  substi- 


©     Press    Illustration  Co, 

The  Committee  of  Mercy  Helps 

This   was    another   organization   which    did   a   vast  amount  of  good   during   the   war.     Two   of 
the  sufferers  whom  they  helped  are  shown  in  the  above  picture.  This  old  couple  lost  everjthing  they 

had  when  Louvain  was  burned. 


138 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


tutes  for  leather  shoes.  Many  were  weak  and 
ill-looking;  all  wore  the  stamp  of  war.  Every 
day  they  must  come  for  the  pint  of  soup  and 
the  bread  that  meant  life — 200,000  in  Brus- 
sels alone;  in  Belgium  one  and  a  half  mil- 
lion. 

IN   A  children's  canteen 

And  here  is  a  brief  picture  of  a  children's 
canteen. 

"It  was  raining  outside,  but  all  was  white, 
and  clean,  and  inviting  within.  Suddenly 
there  was  a  rush  of  feet  in  the  courtyard  be- 
low, I  looked  out  the  window;  in  the  rain, 
1,662  children  between  three  and  fourteen 
years,  mothers  often  leading  the  smaller  ones 
— not  an  umbrella  or  rubber  among  them — 
were  lining  up  with  their  cards,  eager  to  be 
passed  by  the  sergeant.  These  kind-hearted, 
long-suffering  sergeants  kept  this  wavering 
line  in  place,  as  the  children  noisily  climbed 
the  long  stairway — calling,  pushing.  One  lit- 
tle girl  stepped  out  to  put  fresh  flowers  before 
the  bust  of  the  Queen,  Boys  and  girls  under 
six  crowded  into  the  first  of  the  large,  airy 
rooms,  older  girls  into  the  second,  while  the 
bigger  boys  climbed  to  the  floor  above.  With 
much  chattering  and  shuffling  of  sabots  they 
slid  along  the  low  benches  to  their  places  at 
the  long,  narrow  tables.  The  women  hur- 
ried between  the  wiggling  rows,  ladling  out 
the  hot,  thick  soup.  The  air  was  filled  with 
cries  of  ' Beaucoup,  mademoiselle,  beaucoup!' 
A  few  even  said,  "Only  a  little,  mademoi- 
selle.' Everybody  said  something.  One  tiny, 
golden-haired  thing  pleaded:  'You  know  I 
like  the  little  pieces  of  meat  best.'  In  no 
time  they  discovered  that  I  was  new,  and  tried 
slyly  to  induce  me  to  give  them  extra  slices 
of  bread,  or  bowls  of  milk. 

"In  this  multitude  each  was  clamoring  for 
individual  attention,  and  for  the  most  part 
getting  it.  Very  little  ones  were  being  helped 
to  feed  themselves;  second  portions  of  soup 
were  often  given  if  asked  for.  Madame 
seemed  to  be  everywhere  at  once,  lifting  one 
after  another  in  her  arms  to  get  a  better  look 
at  eyes  or  glands.  Her  husband,  a  physician 
of  international  reputation,  was  in  the  little 
clinic  at  the  end  of  the  hall,  weighing  and  ex- 
amining those  whose  turn  it  was  to  go  to  him 
that  day.  Later  he  came  out  and  passed  up 
and  down  the  rows  to  get  an  impression  of 


the  general  condition  of  this  extraordinary 
family.  When,  for  a  moment,  husband  and 
wife  stood  together  in  the  middle  of  the  vast 
room,  they  seemed  with  iniinite  solicitude  to 
be  gathering  all  the  1,662  in  their  arms — their 
own  boy  is  at  the  front,  and  all  the  time  the 
1,662  were  rapidly  devouring  their  bread  and 
soup, 

"Then  began  the  cries  of  'Dessert,  mademoi- 
selle, dessert!'  Tired  arms  carried  the  1,662 
soup  plates  to  the  kitchen,  ladled  out  1,662 
portions  of  rice,  and  set  them  before  eager 
rows.  Such  a  final  scraping  of  spoons,  such 
fascinating  play  of  voice  and  gesture.  Then, 
the  last  crumb  eaten,  they  crowded  up  to  offer 
sticky  hands  with  'Merci,  mademoiselle/  and 
'au  revoir/  The  clatter  of  sabots  and  laughter 
died  away  through  the  courtyard  and  the 
hundreds  started  back  to  school. 

"The  strong  American  physician,  who  had 
helped  ladle  the  soup,  tried  to  swing  his  arm 
back  in  position,  I  looked  at  the  women  who 
had  been  doing  this  practically  every  day  for 
seven  hundred  days,  Madame  was  apparently 
not  thinking  of  resting — only  of  the  next  day's 
ration. 

"I  discovered  later  that  at  four  o'clock  that 
afternoon  she  had  charge  of  a  canteen  for  400 
mothers  and  their  new  babies,  and  that,  after 
that,  she  visited  the  family  of  a  little  boy  who 
was  absent,  according  to  the  children,  because 
his  shirt  was  being  washed, 

"All  attempts  to  express  admiration  of  this 
beautiful  devotion  are  interrupted  by  the  cry: 
'Oh,  but  it  is  you — it  is  America — that  is 
doing  the  astonishing  things;  we  must  give 
ourselves,  but  you  need  not.  Your  gift  to  us 
is  the  finest  expression  of  sympathy  the  world 
has  known,'  " 

So  much  for  the  feeding  of  the  populace  en 
7/msse  and  along  the  special  lines  to  meet  the 
special  needs  of  babies,  adolescent  children, 
and  joung  mothers. 

But  what  of  the  many  other  lines  of  relief 
work,  all  coordinated  and  more  or  less  de- 
pendent for  their  support  on  the  C.  R.  B.? 

These  can  only  be  barely  mentioned  here: 
the  distribution  of  clothing  to  all  in  need  (and 
practically  all  were  in  need  before  the  end  of 
the  war)  ;  the  providing  of  shelter  for  the 
homeless ;  food  boxes  for  prisoners  in  Ger- 
many; work  for  the  idle;  some  means  of 
secours    for    the   merchants,    artists,    teachers, 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


130 


/.«jac£»,^*  ??; 


Loading  Food  on  to  Canal  Barges  in  Rotterdam  Harbor 


lace-makers  and  the  thousands  of  "ashamed- 
poor"  ;  and  the  rebuilding  of  wrecked  farm- 
buildings  for  the  farmer  and  supplying  him 
with  seed. 

America's  part  in  the  work  of  relief 

We  must  leave  this  half-told  story  of  the 
complexity  and  completeness  of  the  relief  work 
and  hasten  on  to  the  all-important  question 
of  just  what  part  America  played  in  run- 
ning this  great  economic  engine  that  fed  ten 
million  people  and  administered  other  relief 
through    such    countless   channels   of   activity. 

Although,  as  we  have  mentioned,  the  Com- 
mission for  Relief  in  Belgium  became,  in  the 
course  of  its  work,  an  international  neutral 
organization,  America  has  the  enduring  pride 
of  knowing  that  from  the  inception  of  the 
Commission  to  theend,  its  directing  heads  were 
Americans;  the  methods  used  were  the  meth- 
ods of  American  business ;  and  to  a  very  great 
extent,  the  Commission  remained  in  spirit  and 


in  fact,  if  not  in  form,  an  American  enter- 
prise. Even  after  we  entered  the  war,  and, 
more,  even  for  a  few  months  after  the  armis- 
tice, the  C.  R.  B.  continued  through  its  offices 
in  London,  New  York  and  Rotterdam,  to  ship 
food  and  clothing  to  the  populations  of  Bel- 
gium and  Northern  France. 

It  would  be  invidious,  in  view  of  the  self- 
sacrificing  devotion,  the  unstinted  toil,  and 
the  high  character  of  the  service  rendered,  to 
single  out  for  special  mention  any  of  the 
Americans  who  made  possible  the  wonderful 
humanitarian  work  accomplished  by  the  Com- 
mission. Almost  all  of  them  were  volun- 
teers. With  no  thought  of  the  personal  sac- 
rifice involved,  they  quietly  put  away  their 
personal  interests  and  stepped  out  of  the  beaten 
walks  of  life  as  engineers,  business  men,  law- 
yers, doctors,  clergymen,  college  professors, 
and  students,  to  offer  themselves  for  the  task 
ahead.  They  came  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try and  represented  forty-nine  dififerent  Ameri- 
can universities.     No  finer  group  of  men  has 


140 


THE  ARMIES  OF  IVIERCY 


^     Brozvn  Bros. 

The  King  and  Queen  of  Belgium 

Beloved  of  their  countrymen  and  honored  by 
the    world    for    their   bravery    and    self-sacrifice 
during  the  invasion  of  their  country. 

ever  developed  in  American  life.  No  finer 
group  will  ever  develop  in  America  or  any 
other  country.  Welded  together  by  a  noble 
purpose,  inspired  always  and  led  by  the  high 
devotion  and  business  genius  of  their  leader, 
Herbert  Hoover,  this  little  band  of  Americans 
has  added  a  glowing  page  of  idealism  and 
practical  achievement  to  American  history. 

For  those  whose  part  in  the  task  kept  them 
close  to  their  desks,  there  was  the  constant 
day  by  day  grind,  the  disillusionment,  the 
staggering  obstacles  to  be  overcome,  the  neces- 
sity of  fighting  their  way  inch  by  inch,  hour 
by  hour,  so  that  the  relief  work  might  go  on. 
Theirs  was  the  direct  responsibility  of  solic- 
iting charity  from  all  corners  of  the  world ; 
of  buying  the  supplies  in  the  markets  of  the 
world  in  competition  with  the  buyers  of  all 


the  Allied  and  neutral  governments;  of  trans- 
porting these  supplies  in  hundreds  of  ships; 
and  of  finally  distributing  them  by  canals  and 
railroads  and  carts  all  over  the  I9,5CX)  square 
miles  of  territory  held  in  the  grip  of  a  hungry 
enemy  army. 

Nor  was  the  work  of  the  American  dele- 
gates of  the  Commission  who  were  in  Bel- 
gium and  Northern  France  less  laborious  or 
exacting.  For  them  there  was  a  difficult  role 
of  tact  and  forbearance.  Always  they  had  to 
do  their  work  under  the  watchful  and  suspi- 
cious eyes  of  the  German  authorities.  Con- 
tinually they  were  subjected  to  petty  annoy- 
ances at  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  It  was 
an  ordinary  event  for  the  delegates  to  be 
stripped  and  searched  and  to  have  their  auto- 
mobiles stopped  and  gone  over  with  the  most 
meticulous  care.  Sometimes,  too,  they  were 
thrown  into  prison  for  several  days  before 
news  of  their  plight  reached  the  Brussels  office 
and  orders  for  their  release  could  be  secured 
from  the  general  government.  One  Ameri- 
can delegate  was  arrested  seventeen  times  be- 
cause of  persistent  German  stupidity,  even 
when  the  enemy  pretended  to  be  cooperating 
in  the  work. 

Many  of  the  Commission's  members,  too, 
had  the  unpleasant  experience,  when  seated  in 
a  restaurant,  of  hearing  German  officers  at  an 
adjoining  table  speak  in  a  loud  voice  of  the  in- 
solence of  the  "verdammte  Amerikaner"  in 
daring  to  intrude  their  presence  into  the  sacred 
neighborhood  of  the  officers  of  the  Imperial 
and  Royal  German  army. 

But  far  worse  than  personal  irritations 
was  the  struggle  of  these  men  to  remain 
neutral  in  all  their  acts  and  words,  for  this 
was  absolutely  necessary  for  the  continuance 
of  the  relief  measures.  Especially  was  this 
difficult  during  the  deportation  from  Lille  in 
April,  191 6,  of  men,  women,  boys  and  girls, 
torn,  without  warning  or  farewells,  from  their 
homes,  or  picked  up  on  the  streets  by  squads 
of  Bavarian  soldiers.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
it  was  impossible,  and  headed  by  the  director 
himself,  Mr.  William  B.  Poland,  the  Com- 
mission protested,  with  the  happy  result  that 
the  brutal  performance  was  interrupted. 

What  part  did  America,  as  a  whole,  play 
in  the  far-reaching  benevolent  work  of  the 
Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium? 

It  is  difficult  to  know  where  to  begin  when 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


141 


©     Undericood  and   U iidcriuood. 


Converting  Banana  Boxes  into  Babies'  Cradles 

Women   of  the   East   End  of  London,   out  of   work  because  of  the  war,  took  up  a  new  indus- 
try at   the  Raines   Foundation   Schools,   Stepney.      They   converted   rough   crates   into   neat   cradles 
for  the  tiny  war  sufferers  in  Belgium  and  Northern  France. 


one  comes  to  this  part  of  the  story.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  the  work  of  the  Commis- 
sion could  have  gone  on  at  all  without  the 
whole-hearted  backing  of  the  American  peo- 
ple. Certainly  its  scope  would  have  been  ma- 
terially narrowed. 

Mr.  Hoover  made  his  first  appeal  to  the 
American  public  through  the  press  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  October,  1914.  It  was  quickly 
followed  by  a  personal  appeal  from  King  Al- 
bert, written  under  fire. 

"I  am  informed,"  wrote  the  Belgian  king, 
"that  American  officials  and  private  citizens 
in  Belgium  and  England  are  working  to  save 
my  people  from  the  horrors  of  famine  which 
threatens  them. 

"It  is  a  great  comfort  to  me  in  this  hour 
to  feel  that  a  great-hearted  people  are  direct- 
ing their  efforts  to  relieving  the  distress  of  the 


unoffending  civilian  population  in  my  country. 

"Despite  all  that  can  be  done,  the  suffering 
in  the  coming  winter  will  be  terrible,  but  the 
burden  we  must  bear  will  be  lightened  if  my 
people  can  be  spared  the  pangs  of  hunger,  with 
its  frightful  consequence  of  disease  and  vio- 
lence. 

"I  confidently  hope  the  appeal  of  the  Amer- 
ican Commission  will  meet  with  a  generous 
response.  The  whole-hearted  friendship  of 
America  shown  my  people  at  this  time  will 
be  a  precious  memor5^ 

(Signed)  "Albert." 

The  results  of  these  appeals  was  a  swift 
organization  of  relief  committees  in  states, 
cities,  and  villages,  all  over  the  United  States. 
The  organization  and  receiving  headquarters 
of  these  committees  was  the  New  York  office 


142  THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 

of  the  C.  R.  B.,  which  was  under  the  manage-  Splendid  contributions  and  loaded  relief  ships 

ment  successively  of  Messrs. Lindon W.Bates,  also  came  from  states  in  which  no  attempt  was 

Capt.  J.  F.  Lucey,  John  Beaver  White,  W.  L.  made  to  effect  organized  state  committees. 
Honnold   and   Edgar   Rickard.  Numerous  special  funds  were  raised  by  vari- 

As  an  example  of  the  results  of  the  work  of  ous    privately    instituted    movements    for    the 

the  state  committees,   the   following  may   be  benefit   of   the    Belgian   people.      One   of  the 

cited:  earliest  to  respond  to  the  call  of  the  C.  R.  B. 

New  York,  June  twenty-first,  was  the  "Millers'  Belgian  Relief  Movement." 

Nineteen  hundred  nineteen.  This  organization,  as  early  as  February,  1915, 

The  New  England  Belgium  Relief  Fund,  contributed  a  shipload  of  flour  valued  at  $466,- 

which    may    be    fairly   synonymous    with    the  ^^l^" 

Massachusetts  state  organization,  sent  to  the  ^  ^^  Rockefeller  Foundation  was  also  among 

C.  R.   B.   food  valued  at  $214,142,  clothing  ^^^    ^'^^    contributors.     It    gave    $1,000,000 

valued  at  $270,754,  and  a  cash  donation  of  °^   foodstuffs   m   bulk,   $200,000   in   clothing, 

$170,000;  two  relief  ships  loaded  with  sup-  ^^OO-OOO   ^^^   extra   meals   for   children,   and 

plies  from   Massachusetts   and   paid   for  with  P^^^f^   $50,000   a   month   to   the   C.    R.    B. 

Massachusetts  money.  ^"  J"^"^'    ^9I7,   however,   the   United   States 

Kansas    Belgium    Relief   Fund   contributed  Government  granted  subsidies  which  provided 

food  valued  at  $246,085,  clothing  valued  at  ^^'^   ^^^   rationing   of    Belgium    and   occupied 

$8,469,  and  cash,  $5,000.     Kansas  also  sent  ^'^""'  '«,  ^^''^^  '^  ^^  "«  ^^"g^''  necessary  to 

the  Kansas  state  relief  ship  with  a  cargo  of  ^'^Y.""  ^^f  pocketbook  of  charity, 

flour  contributed  by  the  Kansas  millers.  .  ^^^  ^""'^y  fountain  Club,  a  body  of  en- 

The  Ohio  State  Belgium  Relief  Organiza-  ^'"f 'f '• ""'  ^  '^  testimonial  to  Mr.  Hoover 

tion  sent  food  valued  at  $78,993,  clothing  val-  f^     his     mming     engineer     assistants,     who 

ued    at    $17,242,    and    a    cash    donation    of  ^^'"""^  '\'  executive  committee  of  the  C    R 

^^j  „^-  B.,  gave  $245,986.     Most  of  this  money  had 

Pennsylvania    State    Belgium    Relief   Com-  ^""  assembled  by  the  club  to  build   a  new 
mittee  contributed  food  valued  at  $146,800,  ^^^^  house  in  New  York.     The  members  de- 
clothing  to  the  value  of  $38,690,   and  cash,  ^'^f^    V'''    t"  ^"^     u^T  "^T    'T 
^2';oooo  make  them   happier   than  housing  themselves 

r'oi;4:^v.,;o    Cco*^    ^  „..  -u  *  j    f     j    4.      -u  i"  luxury  while  Belgian  children  w^re  starv- 

L-aliiornia    btate    contributed    food    to    the  .  -^  ^ 

value  of  $270,317;  clothing,   $30,441;   cash,  '"%  T^■      .  t?     a  i      .u      u-u 

^2«;j.  1;=;^  ^^^^^^^y  ^tgest  rund  for  the  children 

T.,  oil  A^»..,Vo ,u  J       »•        ...    ..u    /^  of  Belgium  collected  from  all  over  the  coun- 

In  all  American  cash  donations  to  the  Com-  . 

t^JccV^    (r.r-   Poi;^f   •.,    T3  i„-  ...  J    *  try,  in  sums  from  pennies  to  thousands  of  dol- 

mission   tor   Keliet   in    Belgium   amounted   to  ,  ,  ,    ,,      .,,.        ,  ,, 

<t,  Qr^^r^r^r^    o ., ^    ^i^»k;„-,        A    i     A  T  lars,  more  than  a  half  million  dollars. 

^4,000,000    and    clothing    and    food    supplies  r.     •  1         1,     1  11  -it 

amounted  to  $7,126,000.     These  figures  may  ,    ^?''^^'  f\  '^'''^  f  ^  ^'■^''  organized  col- 
be  raised  respectively  to:  lections_  of    funds    the    Commission    received 

many  single  private  gifts  of  large  size,   not- 

Cash     $5,266,952.19  ably  an  anonymous  gift  of  $320,000,  another 

Clothing    I     g  g^^  of  $200,000,   several  of  $100,000  and  many 

Foodstuffs,  etc /       '       '^'   ''  of  $10,000  and  more. 

These    latter    figures    represent    sums    that  ^  ,^"^   America's    great-hearted    response    to 

passed  through  the  office  of  the  C.  R.  B.  in  ^jlg'""^ /   suffering  was  best  shown   by   the 

■Mo,.r  v^^v    k.,^   *u„     J  ..    •     1    J         11  thousands  upon  thousands  of  small  sums  that 

JNew    York,    but   they   do  not   include   solely  „         ,  .  ,  .         ,     xt       tt    1 

Arr,«^,Vo„   o^,,i--;k,.«.;^^^      Tk       •     1   J  flowed  in  a  steady  stream  into  the  New  York 

American   contributions.      1  hey   include  con-  „        i-    ^     r^      '   •    •       c  ^^  r    1 

tributions    from    the    Philippines,    Hawaiian  office  of  the  Commission  from  all  parts  of  the 

Isles,     Cuba,     Canada,     and     various     other  ^""l^^^  ^^''^^^•.  „  .     ,    ,. 

druggist  in  a  small  town  in  Indiana  sent 

Edgar  Rickard.  °"^  ^°""'  ^  '""''^  ^"'  "^^  '^f  T  l'^''' 

a  country  grocer  sent  each  week  a  n.xed  per 

These  instances  of  state  work  cited  are  sam-  cent,   of  his  profits;   a   man   without  money, 

pies.     Other  state  committees  did   as  nobly.  but  with  a  gold  watch  left  him  as  a  family 


THE  ARIVIIES  OF  MERCY 


143 


'^  J^^ 


C^-nitcsy    of    American    Fund    for    French    ll'oundeJ. 


A  Warehouse  Packing  Room 

These  warehouses  were  kept   open   twenty-four   hours   a   day   and   the   homeless   civilians   of   Bel- 
gium   were    supplied    with    blankets    and    warm    clothing. 


heirloom,  sent  it  to  be  sold  for  the  feeding  of 
a  Belgian  family. 

Nearly  every  day  the  Commission  received 
pennies,  dimes  and  quarters  done  up  in  paper 
by  eager  little  fingers — the  more  than  royal 
gifts  of  children  who  earned  them  by  running 
errands,  giving  up  birthday  parties  and  pres- 
ents, winning  high  marks  in  school,  and  tak- 
ing medicine  without  complaint.  One  little 
girl,  in  a  hospital  because  of  a  severe  accident, 
sent  in  five  cents  nearly  every  day  to  the  Com- 
mission for  two  weeks,  the  money  she  earned 
by  not  crying  when  her  injuries  were  dressed. 

A  number  of  little  girls  in  Cooperstown. 
N.  Y.,  sent  $1.00  each  month.  These  little 
girls  were  rewarded  by  a  few  pennies  for  any 
particular  excellence  in  their  tasks,  making 
beds,  sweeping,  etc.  For  many  months  they 
gave  the  pennies  earned  in  this  way  to  send 
their  dollars  to  some  child  in  Belgium. 

In  a  little  church  in  the  mountains  of  New 
Hampshire  it  is  customary  to  take  up  a  col- 


lection one  Sunday  every  year  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Grand  Army  Veterans.  On  the  Sun- 
day in  191 7  when  this  collection  was  to  be 
taken,  the  minister  in  the  course  of  his  ser- 
mon read  an  appeal  in  behalf  of  Belgium 
from  the  Federated  Council  of  Churches. 
When  it  came  time  for  the  collection  to  be 
taken  for  the  Grand  Army  Veterans,  one 
of  them  rose  and,  turning  to  the  handful  of 
bent,  white-haired  men  in  blue  who  were  sit- 
ting beside  him.  he  said:  "Comrades  and 
Brethren,  our  fighting  days  are  over.  But 
we  can  yet  do  our  mite  to  right  wrong  and 
win  honor  for  Old  Glory.  I,  therefore,  move 
that  we  give  this  contribution  to  help  right 
the  wrong  done  Belgium  and  to  give  to  some 
of  her  little  starving  children  a  square  meal." 
There  were  quick  and  hearty  "ayes"  from 
the  men  beside  him.  And  so,  while  the  little 
organ  pumped  the  Star-Spangled  Banner,  the 
contribution  was  taken  up,  and  under  the  faded 
folds  of  their  flag  these  soldiers  of  a  past  day 


144 


THE  ARiMIES  OF  MERCY 


dedicated  their  little  fund  to  the  relief  of 
Belgium, 

So  the  list  of  noble  givers  runs  on.  It  is 
difficult  to  know  where  to  stop.  Mention 
must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  of  the  tons 
of  clothing,  both  new  and  old,  that  were  sent 
from  American  homes  to  find  grateful  owners 
in  France  and  Belgium.  Nearly  every  com- 
munity in  the  country,  big  and  small,  and 
many  schools,  had  its  little  group  of  noble- 
minded  women  or  generous  children  who  gave 
up  precious  hours  each  week  to  make  small 
layettes  and  warm  clothing  for  the  innocent 
sufferers  across  the  water. 

It  adds  much  to  the  credit  of  the  American 
people  that,  even  when  they  shouldered  their 
own  war  burdens,  and  later,  when  the  armis- 
tice was  signed  and  everywhere  the  great  let- 
down from  the  strain  of  the  war  was  felt, 
their  contributions  of  money,  food  and  cloth- 
ing did  not  cease  to  go  to  Belgium  and 
France. 

One  particular  post-war  benevolence  clam- 
ors for  mention.  It  is  the  splendid  expression 
of  the  American  spirit  of  helpfulness  found  in 
the  American  Naval  Relief  Unit  in  the  de- 
vastated areas.  ]\Iore  than  five  hundred  sail- 
ors  and    their   officers   voluntarily    postponed 


their  chance  to  come  home  in  order  to  help  the 
C.  R.  B.  to  erect  barracks  for  the  homeless 
population  of  Northern  France,  who  had  re- 
turned to  their  villages  only  to  find  deserted 
cellar  holes  or  a  few  charred  remains  where 
once  stood  their  homes.  Up  to  the  end  of 
May,  191 9,  these  volunteer  relief  workers 
from  the  U.  S.  Navy  had  erected  over  four 
hundred  barracks  to  meet  the  emergency. 

So  we  come  to  the  end  of  the  story.  The 
task  of  the  Commission  for  Relief  in  Bel- 
gium stands  completed.  The  imprisoned 
people  of  Belgium  and  France  have  been 
saved.  Their  suffering  during  the  long,  dark 
years  of  their  captivity  remains  as  a  torturing 
memory,  but  the  magnificent  spirit  and  moral 
courage  with  which  they  bore  this  suffering  is, 
to-day,  a  torch  of  inspiration  to  all  the  world. 

Surely  it  was  worth  while — the  saving  of 
these  people  from  starvation. 

But  there  is  another  accomplishment  of 
the  Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium  which  is 
even  more  worth  while.  In  a  time  of  hatred 
and  doubt  the  Commission  raised  a  monument 
of  love  and  faith. 

It  is  this  that  will  make  the  memor}^  of  the 
Commission  for  Relief  in  Belgium  live  in  the 
hearts  of  posterity. 


SERBIA'S  AGONY 

How  America  Helped  to  Save  a  Land  Laid  Waste 
By   Her   Excellency  Madame  Slavko  Grouitch 
Wife  of  the  Minister  from  the  Kingdom  of  the   Serbs,   Croats  and   Slovenes. 


IN  Serbia  when  there  is  a  war,  everything 
else  stops.  The  schools  and  colleges  close 
because  the  teachers  and  faculty,  if  they  are 
men,  go  to  the  front,  or  to  replace  other  men 
who  have  gone.  The  women  join  the  volun- 
tary hospital  corps.  Trains  stop  running  be- 
cause the  drivers  and  conductors  must  go  with 
the  army;  machinists  and  engineers  are  called 
first.  The  farmers  literally  drop  their  agri- 
cultural implements  and  mobilize  without 
waiting  for  orders,  taking  with  them  their 
carts  and  oxen,  which  will  be  requisitioned 
for    the   "KomorOj"   as    the   Commissariat    is 


called  in  Serbian.  Everything  that  can  go 
on  wheels  m^ust  be  at  the  service  of  the  troops. 
The  army  is  composed  of  all  the  men  in 
the  country  from  16  to  60,  There  is  only 
one  class — patriots.  There  are  only  two  cate- 
gories— valid  and  invalid.  The  latter  remain 
on  civilian  duty.  Functionaries  of  the  army 
and  municipal  employees  proudly  don  uni- 
forms of  the  reserve  corps  to  which  they  be- 
long. No  one  speaks  of  personal  grief  or 
sacrifice ;  the  whole  atmosphere  is  charged 
with  an  electric,  instinctive  desire  for  heroism 
and  self-immolation.     It  is  a  stupendous  rev- 


Phofografli    by    Poch. 

Her  Excellency  Madame  Slavko  Grouitch 

Wife  of  the  Minister  from  the  Kingdom  of  the  Serbs,  Croats,  and  Slovenes,  and  an  active  worker 

in    behalf    of    her   suffering   countrymen. 


\ 


146 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


elation  of  the  unanimity  of  the  whole  people 
from  king  to  shepherd. 

The  war  of  1914  did  not  come  more  un- 
expectedly upon  Belgium  than  it  did  upon 
Serbia.  The  Prime  Minister  and  nearly  all 
of  the  Cabinet  Avere  away  in  the  interior  of 
the  country,  for  the  elections  were  taking 
place.  The  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Army  was  at  an  Austrian  watering-place. 
The  Austrian  ultimatum  came  as  a  "bolt  from 
the  blue,"  even  to  governmental  circles.  In 
the  short  time  permitted,  the  Serbian  gov- 
ernment prepared  an  answer;  fifteen  minutes 
later,  the  Austro-Hungarian  Minister  replied 
to  the  document  by  handing  out  another  which 
amounted  to  the  declaration  of  war.  By  six 
o'clock  on  the  25th  of  July,  1914,  Belgrade 
was  evacuated ;  the  government  moved  to 
Nish,  the  army  to  headquarters.  Men  were 
hurrying  to  take  up  their  posts  for  the  na- 
tional defense.  Women  and  children  were 
left  behind  because  there  were  not  sufficient 
means  of  transportation,  since  all  must  be 
given  to  the  army;  besides,  it  was  believed 
that  the  military  evacuation  of  the  capital 
would  save  it  from  bombardment,  for  it  had 
not  yet  dawned  upon  the  Serbians  that  their 
implacable  enemy  would  completely  ignore 
all  the  prescribed  rules  of  international  war- 
fare. On  July  28th,  bombardment  was  be- 
gun by  the  Austrian  monitors  which  had  de- 
scended  the   Danube. 


Serbia's  Plea  for  Aid  and  Justice 


THE  FIRST  REFUGEES 

The  population  which  remained  in  the 
town  sought  safety  in  their  cellars  until  night- 
fall. The  firing  destroyed  the  King's  pal- 
ace, set  fire  to  many  public  buildings  and 
private  houses,  killed  women  with  children 
in  their  arms,  and  sick  people  in  the  hospi- 
tals. Towards  nightfall,  a  lull  came,  and  the 
people  fled  from  their  homes  in  great  con- 
fusion, unable  to  carry  with  them  even  a 
change  of  underclothing  for  their  little  ba- 
bies. There  was  great  suffering,  and  many 
deaths  from  sunstroke  and  shock.  Bursting 
shells  had  destroyed  the  railway  station,  so 
that  it  was  necessary  to  walk  ten  miles  to  get 
aboard  even  a  cattle  car.  At  Nish,  a  town 
of  only  24,000  inhabitants  in  normal  times, 
five  times  that  number  sought  food  and  shel- 
ter before  the  end  of  the  first  week  after  the 
evacuation  of  the  frontier  towns. 

In  1 9 14,  there  were  some  400  surgeons  and 
physicians  in  Serbia,  all  of  whom  were  mo- 
bilized for  the  army,  or  took  up  an  assigned 
post  in  the  improvised  hospitals  in  the  interior. 
Barracks,  schools,  churches,  even  jails,  were 
converted  into  hospitals  in  all  the  large  and 
small  towns.  There  were  over  20,000 
wounded  after  the  first  battle,  and  more  than 
100,000  sick  and  wounded,  including  many 
Austrian  prisoners,  by  the  middle  of  Octo- 
ber, when  help  from  the  outside  began  to  ar- 
rive in  sufficient  force  and  quantity  to  be  of 
any  real  service. 

The  first  hospital  unit  to  reach  Serbia  was 
called  the  Anglo-American  unit,  because,  al- 
though recruited  in  England,  a  considerable 
amount  of  the  donations  for  its  equipment 
and  traveling  expenses  had  come  from  Ameri- 
cans in  London.  There  was  one  American 
trained  nurse.   Miss  Emily  Simmons. 

The  American  Red  Cross  sent  a  thousand 
dollars  to  the  Serbian  Red  Cross  to  purchase 
sanitary  supplies,  and  funds  were  being  col- 
lected from  the  public  for  similar  purposes. 
Word  came  that  a  unit  of  three  surgeons  and 
twelve  nurses  was  on  its  way  by  a  Greek 
steamer.  We  counted  upon  its  coming,  be- 
cause we  felt  it  would  surely  bring  with  it 
an  abundant  supply  of  dressings.  The  small 
equipment  on  hand  was  guarded  under  lock 
and  key.  and  used  only  in  the  most  desperate 

cases.      Even    the    worst    wounds    could    be 

VII— 10 


Crown  Prince  Alexander  of  Serbia 

His  father,  King  Peter,  because  of  ill-health  delegated  full  royal  authority  to  him. 


148 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Serbian  Children  Made  Orphans  By  War 

Serbia  suffered  not  only  from  war,  but  from  plague.     About  50  per  cent,  of  the  adult  male  popula- 
tion was  killed  or  died  of  disease,  and  the  number  of   children   left   orphans   was   accordingly   large. 


dressed  only  every  three  or  four  days,  for 
want  of  bandages.  Surgeons  and  nurses 
worked  eighteen  hours  a  day. 

Imagine,  then,  our  distress  of  mind,  when 
on  the  morning  of  October  Sth,  Dr.  Ryan 
and  Miss  Gladwin,  with  the  other  members 
of  their  unit,  arrived  at  Nish,  bringing  with 
them  only  the  case  of  surgical  instruments 
with  which  every  American  Red  Cross  doc- 
tor is  outfitted.  The  question  of  where  to 
place  them  was  a  difficult  one,  since  they  were 
so  sorely  needed  everywhere.  Finally,  the 
big  military  hospital  at  Belgrade  was  turned 
over  to  the  American  Mission.  Telegrams 
were  sent  via  Bucharest  to  the  American  Em- 
bassy in  Vienna,  to  inform  the  Austrian  gov- 
ernment that  an  American  Red  Cross  Mission 
was  on  its  way  to  Belgrade  to  take  up  its 
duties  at  the  hospital  at  the  outskirts  of  the 
town.  This  was  necessary  to  prevent  the 
Austrians  from  continuing  to  bombard  the 
hospital. 

The  town  was  taken  and  re-taken  three 
times  within  ten  months,  during  which  the 
hospital  took  in  over  seven  thousand  cases,  be- 
sides saving  the  lives  and  honor  of  thousands 
of  helpless  women  and  children — a  work  in 
itself  most  deserving  of  all  effort. 


AMERICA    STEPS    IN 

Dr.  Ryan's  mission  was  followed  by  a  sec- 
ond one  under  Dr.  Ethan  Allan  Butler,  of 
Washington.  It  was  established  near  the 
Macedonian  frontier  in  a  typhus  hospital. 
Several  of  its  members  died  from  the  disease, 
among  them  the  much  regretted  Dr.  Ma- 
gruder  of  Washington. 

Spotted  fever  (typhus  exanthematicus), 
had  been  brought  into  the  country  by  the 
Austrian  prisoners.  Its  ravages  cost  the  coun- 
try more  lives  than  had  been  lost  on  the  bat- 
tlefield up  to  that  time.  Overcrowding  in 
hospitals,  hotels  and  railway  carriages  caused 
it  to  spread  widely  before  preventive  meas- 
ures could  be  taken.  So  many  doctors  and 
nurses  w^ere  stricken  that  help  from  the  out- 
side became  imperative. 

Early  in  March,  a  sanitary  unit  was  hastily 
got  together  under  Dr.  Richard  Strong,  of 
the  Harvard  School  of  Tropical  Medicine. 
Almost  every  man  in  it  would  have  been 
capable  of  masterly  work  had  he  been  put 
in  charge  of  a  district  when  the  disease  was 
epidemic.  Unfortunately,  the  mission  arrived 
after  the  first  force  of  the  epidemic  had  spent 
itself.    None  the  less,  the  names  of  Dr.  Strong 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


149 


and  his  lieutenants  are  held  with  respect  and 
gratitude  by  the  whole  Serbian  people. 

Overwhelming  victories  in  the  1914  cam- 
paign had  assured  to  Serbia  a  period  of  re- 
prieve, and  it  was  believed  that  Allied  rein- 
forcements would  be  sent  to  her  aid.  Spring 
was  coming;  there  was  as  great  need  for 
seeds  and  agricultural  implements  of  all  kinds 
as  there  had  been  for  ammunition  and  surgi- 
cal dressings  six  months  previously.  Among 
the  things  required  by  the  Agricultural  De- 
partment were  plows  "light  enough  to  be 
drawn  by  women" — sad  commentary  on  the 
state  to  which  the  war  had  reduced  the  na- 
tion. 

The  government  invited  me  to  make 
known  to  the  American  public  the  great  ne- 
cessity of  implements  for  the  spring  crop,  and 
in  February',  19 15,  the  Agricultural  Relief 
Committee  was  formed  in  New  York.  Other 
Committees  were  formed  in  many  large  cities, 
most  of  w'hich  have  survived  and  are  still 
doing  effective  service  in  making  known  the 
suffering  and  heroism  of  the  Jugo-Slav  peo- 
ples. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Serbian  Agricul- 
tural Relief  Committee,  the  League  of  Mercy 
organized  a  motor  corps  for  the  distribution 
of  the  agricultural  implements  and  other  sup- 
plies which  were  being  shipped  to  Serbia  by 
our  Committee  and  by  the  American  Red 
Cross.  The  Red  Cross  by  this  time  was 
abundantly  providing  for  the  hospital  at  Bel- 
grade, as  well  as  giving  assistance  to  the  Ser- 
bian Red  Cross  in  its  work  for  the  field  hospi- 
tals and  base  hospitals  under  its  management. 

When  I  reached  Serbia  at  the  end  of  July, 
191 5,  "the  boys,"  as  the  motor-truck  drivers 
were  affectionately  called  by  everyone,  were 
running  all  over  the  place  in  their  machines, 
which  looked  more  like  monster  beetles  than 
anything  else.  The  chassis  only  had  been 
shipped  to  Serbia,  and  the  bodies  put  on  after 
they  arrived,  with  poorly  carpentered  frames 
and  seats,  which  aspect,  together  with  the 
glorified  cow-boy  uniforms  of  the  volunteer 
chauffeurs,  gave  a  note  of  Wild  West  pictur- 
esqueness  to  the  streets  of  Nish  which  they 
had  never  before  enjoyed. 

During  the  retreat,  this  motor  corps  did 
noble  service  by  carrying  forward  food  sup- 
plies to  places  in  the  mountains  where  no 
other  motor  or  even  ox  cart  could  go.    "The 


boys"  were,  for  the  most  part,  college  stu- 
dents and  young  newspaper  reporters,  one  of 
whom  at  least  has  achieved  fame  as  the  writer 
of  by  far  the  best  description  of  the  retreat 
that  has  been  written — Mr.  Paul  Fortier 
Jones,  author  of  With  Serbia  into  Exile. 

A  DREAM   HOSPITAL  COME  TRUE 

In  the  course  of  ten  years  of  attempts  at 
relief  work  for  Serbia,  I  had  dreamed  of 
founding  one  day  a  model  baby  hospital.  In 
the  summer  of  191 5  that  dream  was  realized. 
No  one  was  more  surprised  than  I  when  the 
first  subscription,  that  of  $5,000  from  a  "Har- 
vard Graduate,"  was  made,  followed  by 
other  funds  for  the  purchase  of  equipment, 
and  by  donations  from  friends  all  over  Ameri- 
ca of  thousands  of  baby  garments.  Admiral 
Sims'  children  emptied  their  money  boxes 
for  the  Serbian  babies,  and  so  did  hundreds 
of  other  little  people  in  the  United  States. 
The  baby  kits  w'ere  the  wonder  and  admira- 
tion of  Nish.  I  am  not  exaggerating  when 
I  say  that  they  were  discussed  even  by  cab- 
inet ministers  and  a  Bishop. 

The  greater  part  of  the  funds  were  de- 
posited with  the  American  Red  Cross  for 
payment  of  salaries  and  expenses  of  doctors 
and  nurses  engaged  for  the  hospital.  The 
first  equipment  was  purchased  for  the  hos- 
pital by  the  Red  Cross  with  money  contributed 
by  the  Refugees  Relief  Committee.  The 
services  of  Dr.  Taylor  Jones  of  Washington, 
D.  C,  were  secured  for  six  weeks  to  or- 
ganize the  dispensary  and  diet  kitchen,  and 
Dr.  Katherine  Travers  of  New  Britain,  Conn., 
was  engaged  as  her  assistant;  these,  with  a 
secretary',  a  housekeeper,  two  nurses,  and  a 
chauffeur  for  our  ambulance,  constituted  the 
personnel.  The  municipality  of  Nish  provided 
a  spacious  building,  and  before  October  first 
the  menibers  of  the  hospital  had  the  satis- 
faction of  feeling  that  they  were  at  home  in 
their  own  hospital  with  their  children  about 
them.  Around  the  building,  crowds  of  peas- 
ant women,  many  of  them  refugees  from 
other  towns  in  Serbia,  assembled  daily,  hold- 
ing out  their  babies  to  the  doctors  and  nurses, 
receiving  medicine,  food  and  clothing,  all 
gratis. 

The  white  enameled  cribs  and  beds  were 
the  delight  and  wonder  of  all  who  visited  the 


Undcrii.'ood  and   Underwood, 


A  French  Peasant  Woman  Seated  Amid  the  Ruins  of  Her  Home 

In  certain  parts  of  France  the  country  was  twice    visited    by    war.     French    territory    which    in 
1914  had  been  occupied  by  the  enemy  was  afterwards  regained,  and  the  peasants  returned  to  their 
old  homes  and  rebuilt  them  as  well  as  they  could.     Then  came  the  German  drives  of  the  early  part 
gf   1918,  when  the  destruction   begun   in    1914  was  re-enacted  over  the  same  ground- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


151 


hospital;  the  diet  kitchen,  with  its  stove  and 
special  arrangements,  was  marveled  at  with 
almost  religious  awe  by  the  peasant  women 
who  heard  for  the  first  time  of  the  necessary 
care  in  preparation  of  their  babies'  food.  Even 
the  poorest  mother,  when  she  came  to  see  her 
sick  baby  on  visitors'  day,  brought  some  pres- 
ent to  the  hospital.  Such  is  the  character  of 
the  Serbian,  who  cannot  allow  you  to  do 
anything  for  him  without  trying  to  do  some- 
thing in  return  for  you. 

Over  three  hundred  cases  were  treated  in 
the  dispensary  during  the  first  month,  and 
many  visits  paid  by  the  doctors  and  a  social 
worker  to  the  homes  of  the  women  w^ho 
brought  us  their  children.  Family  ties  are 
very  strong  in  Serbia,  and  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  persuade  parents  to  allow  their 
children  to  be  taken  to  a  hospital  or  to  an 
institution  of  any  kind,  until  they  have  first 
seen  with  their  own  eyes  the  result  of  such 
a  system.  In  every  case  where  a  child  was 
taken  in  by  the  hospital,  the  mother  was  in- 
vited to  stay  with  it  for  as  long  as  she  wished. 
In  a  day  or  two,  quite  satisfied  with  the  care 
of  the  American  doctors  and  nurses,  she  de- 
parted to  tend  her  flocks  or  begin  the  harvest- 
ing of  fruits  or  grains. 

THE  GREAT  RETREAT 

In  the  fall  of  19 15  came  the  third  attack 
of  the  Austrians,  combined  with  the  Prus- 
sian armies  on  the  North,  and  the  Bulgarians 
on  the  East.  The  Serbian  army  was  called 
upon  to  defend  a  frontier  over  six  hundred 
miles  long.  Allied  help  was  not  forthcoming. 
The  choice  lay  between  humiliating  surren- 
der of  the  entire  army,  or  retreat  in  the  one 
direction  left  open,  across  the  cold  gray  moun- 
tains of  Albania  to  the  sea.  Retreat  was, 
however,  against  the  will  of  the  army.  The 
soldiers  could  not  understand  why  they  were 
being  called  upon  to  abandon  their  country, 
their  kinsfolk,  their  homes.  They  wanted  to 
be  allowed  to  give  battle  to  the  enemy,  to 
strike  a  last  desperate  blow  in  self-defense. 
But  even  the  prodigious  valor  of  the  Serbian 
soldier  is  not  equal  to  odds  of  one  to  six, 
when  the  latter  are  backed  by  the  fire  of 
heavy  German  guns.  Fighting  all  day,  re- 
treating all  night,  the  army  continued  its 
resistance,    but   town   after   town    had    to   be 


abandoned  to  the  enemy,  until  by  the  middle 
of  November,  the  whole  army  and  the  gov- 
ernment were  moving  in  two  streams,  one  to 
Salonika,  the  other  to  the  Adriatic  coast.  All 
the  French,  English,  and  Russian  hospital 
missions  which  had  come  to  the  relief  of  the 
country  during  the  preceding  year  were  sent 
on  ahead. 

Miss  Shelley,  the  devoted  secretary^  of  the 
Baby  Hospital,  refused  to  abandon  the  chil- 
dren who  had  been  left  in  her  care.  The  staff 
could  no  longer,  of  course,  administer  medi- 
cal assistance,  but  the  building  continued  to 
keep  open  its  doors  as  a  hospice  and  refuge  for 
the  remaining  civilian  population.  The  letters 
of  Miss  Shelley  are  too  interesting  not  to  be 
quoted   in  her  own  words. 

"Nish,  January  i,  igi6. 

"You  would  have  loved  the  days  when  our 
hospital  was  filled  with  the  people  who  sought 
refuge  here  during  the  entrance  of  the  Bul- 
garian troops  into  the  town.  The  dear  old 
Vladika  (archbishop)  and  the  Prefect  paid 
us  daily  visits,  and  made  little  addresses  in 
each  room.  One  day  the  Bishop  came,  and 
dined,  and  I  bought  a  pig  and  a  young  calf, 
and  we  all  had  dinner  together,  and  after- 
wards, prayers,  and  more  addresses,  but  if 
you  could  have  seen  the  gratitude  and  appre- 
ciation of  our  work  that  they  showed,  I  am 
sure  that  you  would  not  feel  it  was  a  misuse 
of  funds. 

"I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  love  the  country 
and  the  people,  and  you  won't  think  I  am 
conceited  when  I  tell  you  that  they  love  me 
too.  On  the  street,  everj'where  I  go,  I  meet 
some  of  our  refugees.  The  children  are  just 
little  ewe  lambs,  and,  oh,  so  good !  The  other 
day,  I  had  Bougiloub,  an  angelic  creature  of 
two,  who  was  picked  up  on  the  road  from 
Shabatz,  with  me  while  I  ate  my  supper,  and 
would  you  believe  it,  that  child  never  once 
asked  for  a  morsel.  What  American  child 
would  have  ^\•atched  a  grown-up  eating,  with- 
out begging  for  a  taste! 

"We  had  a  wonderful  Christmas  tree  made 
out  of  nothing.  The  tree  itself  was  a  beauty, 
for  we  cut  it  in  the  5'ard.  I  was  ashamed 
to  do  so,  but  if  we  did  not,  the  Germans 
would,  as  they  had  cut  down  even  those  in 
the  cemetery.  We  made  rag  dolls  and 
dressed  them  as  nurses,  cutting  up  some  ma- 
terial  I  had   for  another  uniform,   and  gave 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


153 


them  little  caps  of  gauze  and  aprons.  We 
had  your  music  box,  and  a  few  candles,  and 
one  spool  of  silver  and  gold  thread,  out  of 
which  we  made  a  lovely  tree.  Not  one  child 
got  in  a  wrangle  or  a  fuss.  They  were  just 
as  sweet  at  the  end  of  the  day  as  they  were 
in  the  beginning.  I  think  I  must  adopt 
Bougiloub.*  He  is  truly  beautiful,  with  the 
most  glorious  eyes  and  lashes;  and  he  has  no 
father  or  mother. 

"There  is  another  interesting  child  here,  a 
girl.  Her  father  is  an  officer,  and  brought 
her  to  me  those  last  terrible  hours  before  the 
Bulgars  attacked  the  town.  He  is  nearly 
sixty  years  of  age,  but  had  to  go  with  the 
army.  The  devotion  between  this  father  and 
daughter  touched  me  deeply.  He  could  not 
speak  any  French  or  English,  but  left  his 
child  in  my  hands,  thinking  this  hospital  a 
permanent  one,  and  that  she  could  stay  here 
until  the  war  is  over.  We  have  never  heard 
one  word  from  him,  and  she  has  not  a  rela- 
tion in  the  world  with  whom  I  can  get  into 
communication.  Dragitza*  is  a  clever  child  of 
fifteen,  and  so  brave  and  capable.  She  has 
never  uttered  a  complainc,  or  shed  a  tear,  and 
she  has  learned  to  care  for  babies  beautifully. 
We  have  had  six  young  girls  who  have  done 
good  work,  but  only  two  have  stayed  with  us 
straight  through.  If  the  father  does  not  turn 
up,  when  I  return  to  America  I  shall  take 
Dragitza  with  me.  I  think  you  would  ap- 
prove if  you  knew  what  a  fine  girl  she  is  and 
how  brave." 

After  Miss  Shelley  left,  in  March,  1916, 
the  Hospital  premises  were  still  maintained 
as  a  refuge  for  children  and  old  men,  under 
the  care  of  a  committee  of  Serbian  ladies 
and  the  Bulgarian  authorities.  When  the 
Serbian  army  entered  Nish  in  the  fall  of 
191 8,  they  found  thirteen  of  the  original  cases 
which  had  been  taken  in  when  the  hospital 
was  opened  in  191 5. 

CIVILIAN  SUFFERING 

The  civilian  population  suffered  more, 
probably,  than  the  army.  They  had  nowhere 
to  flee.  A  few  thousands  did  escape  to  Sa- 
lonika ;   a   few  thousands   followed   the  army 

*  Bougiloub,  now  a  boy  of  five,  is  with  his  adopted 
parents.  Colonel  and  Miss  Shelley,  in  Washington — "a 
brand  snat.:hcd  from  the  burning."  Dragitza,  a  lovely 
young  girl,  was  restored  to  her  father,  and  subsequently 
went  to  France  with  her  brother  to  a  business  college. 


across  the  Adriatic.  Hunger,  exposure,  and 
fatigue  took  a  cruel  toll  of  these.  Families 
w  ere  divided — some  never  to  be  reunited  again, 
even  in  death.  On  the  rocks  along  the  Al- 
banian and  Montenegrin  roads  were  scratched 
messages  to  those  who  might  come  after.  Not 
once,  but  often,  these  messages  became  less 
and  less  heavily  scored,  and  looking  for  the 
next  brought  the  seeker  to  a  rough  mound 
with  perhaps  an  upright  stone  to  mark  the 
end  of  the  journey.  No  wooden  crosses,  be- 
cause the  little  wood  to  be  found  was  needed 
for  fires — the  living  needed  it  more  than  the 
dead. 

One  group  was  singularly  pathetic.  A 
woman  with  four  children,  the  eldest  nine, 
had  struggled  along  for  many  days.  They 
were  to  be  seen  trudging  on,  the  children 
wearing  French  light  blue  kepis  secured  from 
some  military  store.  As  the  rearguard  came 
over  the  mountains  through  the  snow  and 
ice,  they  came  upon  three  little  corpses,  one 
by  one,  each  still  wearing  the  kepi  of  the 
great  Ally.  The  mother  and  other  child 
were  not  found,  probably  being  hidden  un- 
der the  snow,  or  fallen  down  a  precipice. 

Early  in  October,  191 5,  I  went  to  Bel- 
grade to  consult  with  Dr.  Ryan  and  other 
sanitary  authorities  there  concerning  what 
would  be  done  with  the  hospitals  in  case  Bel- 
t,rade  should  be  again  invaded,  as  was  feared 
would  be  the  case.  On  the  morning  of  the 
6th,  I  was  awakened  by  a  heavy  bombard- 
ment, and  realized  that  the  attack  had  be- 
gun. All  day  long  Dr.  Ryan  and  his  staff 
worked  ceaselessly,  caring  for  the  wounded 
soldiers  and  civilians,  who  were  brought  in 
great  numbers  to  the  hospital.  At  the  end  of 
the  day,  orders  were  given  to  evacuate,  and  I 
myself  was  ordered  to  go.  There  was  a  ter- 
rible shortage  of  doctors  and  nurses  for  the 
many  wounded,  and  it  soon  became  clear  that 
it  was  our  duty  to  use  the  doctors  and  nurses 
from  the  Baby  Hospital  for  the  field  hos- 
pitals. Thus  in  twenty-four  hours  was  or- 
ganized the  first  American  Field  Ambulance 
for  Serbia.  Six  members  of  the  sanitary  com- 
mission that  was  still  at  Nish  accompanied 
us  to  the  Belgrade  front,  where  we  w^ere  at- 
tached to  General  Givkovitch's  staff,  and 
where  we  were  able  to  care  for  over  six  hun- 
dred sick  and  wounded  men  who  otherwise 
would  have  been  left  where  thev  fell.     Our 


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THE  ARMIES  OF  IVIERCY                                             i55 

operating  tables  were  set  up  in  tents  in  an  in  the  pouring  rain,  with  mud  a  foot  deep  in 
open  field,  and  many  operations  were  per-  the  field,  and  to  carry  our  wounded  to  the  box 
formed  by  the  light  of  a  single  lantern.  For  cars  of  the  railway  line  where  they  were  laid 
three  weeks  I  was  the  Serbian  official  head  on  straw.  Tempers  gave  out  for  the  first 
of  this  first  "American  Field  Ambulance  for  time  when  the  big  tents  of  which  we  had  been 
Serbia,"  and  it  was  with  pride  that  I  wit-  so  proud  had  to  be  struck  in  the  middle  of  a 
nessed  the  skill  of  the  young  American  sur-  black  night,  lighted  only  by  a  lantern.  Our 
geons  and  nurses  working  under  such  des-  train  sped  through  the  tunnel  which  divided 
perate  conditions  both  for  +hem  and  for  the  us  from  the  next  station  down  the  line  toward 
wounded  soldiers  who  were  brought  to  us  Nish.  At  daybreak,  we  heard  the  terrific  ex- 
directly  from  the  firing  line.  The  wounds  plosion  which  told  us  it  had  been  blown  up 
inflicted  by  the  heavy  German  artillery  were  by  our  own  engineers.  The  night  following 
more  terrible  than  anything  i  had  seen  in  we  were  hurried  from  our  station  only  just 
any  of  my  previous  hospital  experience.  The  before  the  enemy  entered  town.  Then  it  was 
spirit  of  the  Serbian  soldier  was  not  broken,  the  real  retreat  began — rthe  Austro-Germans 
but  he  fully  realized  the  hopelessness  of  the  pouring  in  on  one  side  of  a  triangle,  Bulgars 
situation.  We  rescued  from  death  on  the  on  the  other,  after  having  cut  off  the  Serbian 
battlefield  many  whose  wounds  compelled  government  and  army  from  any  communica- 
them  to  face  the  humiliation  of  being  made  tion  with  the  outside  world, 
prisoners  of  war  if  they  survived  them.  Our  huddling,  stumbling  caravans  climbed 
"Prisoners  of  war,"  in  an  invaded  country,  or  descended  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees, 
means  neglect  and  starvation.  The  soldiers  when  we  were  not  fording  through  ice-cold 
knew  that,  and  we  knew  it.  Jut  their  cour-  streams  or  wading  in  liquid  mud  up  to  the 
age  was  equaled  by  their  resignation,  and  girths  of  our  starving  horses;  their  riders, 
their  courtesy;  and  their  gratitude  for  the  spent  from  hunger  and  exposure,  had  to  be 
little  we  could  do  for  them  was  unfailing,  lifted  on  and  off  them  by  the  hardy  Serbian 
Fetween  my  pride  in  my  Americans  and  my  soldiers  and  Albanian  horsem  n  who  guarded 
admiration  amounting  to  worship  for  my  our  route.  Only  when  clinging  in  terror  to 
Serbian  heroes,  I  lived  those  hours  in  a  spirit  the  tattered  home-spun  coat  of  a  Serbian  peas- 
of  exaltation  that  physical  fatigue  could  not  ant  soldier,  whose  strength  was  my  sole  pro- 
abate.  Each  time  I  touched  an  article  of  our  tection  against  rolling  down  a  precipice,  when 
surgical  outfit,  was  it  only  a  bandage  or  a  my  overtired  mount  was  stumbling  and  fall- 
pad,  my  fingers  thrilled  to  the  recollection  ing  over  the  edges,  did  I  sense  the  terror  of 
that  it  had  come  to  me  from  America,  in  danger.  "Oopomoch!  Oopomoch!"  "Help, 
many  cases  from  one  of  my  own  friends,  who  help,  I  am  falling!"  I  cried  many  times 
pitied  the  gallant  Serbian  soldiers.  Our  to  my  big  soldier,  whose  answer  was  as  gen- 
tents,  our  instruments,  the  dishes  we  ate  from,  tie  and  reassuring  as  that  of  a  father  to  his 
the  stove  on  which  our  food  was  cooked,  were  child,  with  sometimes  a  reproach  because  of 
all  American,  loaned  by  the  Red  Cross  Sani-  my  lack  of  confidence  in  his  watchfulness  and 
tary  Commission,  or  taken  from  the  abundant  strength.  If  you  have  ever  known  a  soldier 
supplies  which  had  been  sent  to  the  Serbian  from  the  highlands  of  Serbia,  you  must  love 
Red  Cross  from  America.  the  race  they  spring  from,  as  I  do. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  any  idea  of  the  ter- 

SERBIa's  tragedy  ^''^^^   conditions    of    the    retreat.      It   is   easy 

enough  to  write  that  soldiers  fell  out  on  the 

Day  after  day  we  worked  on  with  Serbia's  way  and  perished  by  hundreds,  that  horse  and 

tragedy  being  enacted  about  us — our  tents  just  ox   sank    down    exhausted    to   die,    but   mere 

under   the   batteries  of  the   rearguard   as  the  words  cannot  convey  the  horrors  of  the  grim 

main  army  retreated.     One  day  a  great  Ger-  ascent,  the  inexpressi'  le  despair  that  prevailed, 

man  shell  exploded  on  the  very  spot  where  a  and  the  physical  and  spiritual  misery.     Only 

few  moments  before  one  of  our  motor  am-  an    actual    eye-witness   could    convey   a   clear 

balances  had  been   standing.     We  were  im-  conception  of  the  full  tragedy  in  all   its  in- 

mediately  ordered  to  fall  back,   no  easy  job  numerable  terrors. 


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THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


157 


THE  TERRIBLE   WINTER 

There  was  hardly  any  food  for  the  troops, 
and  forage  ran  short  for  the  horses.  Famine 
and  winter  strode  along  with  the  troops ;  aban- 
doned horses  were  to  be  met  constantly,  pa- 


for  death  to  come  and  end  their  sufferings. 
The  oxen  kept  stumbling  and  falling — dying 
— and  men  sank  down,  too,  soldiers  who  had 
fought  their  last  fight  and  had  been  con- 
quered by  hunger. 

Rain   fell   heavily  at   times  during  the  re- 


tient  skeleton  horses  waiting  in  dumb  agony      treat ;  cold,  drifting  rain.     The  soldiers'  faces 


©    Pressen. 


King  Peter's  Suffering  Troops 


With  the  terrific  cold  of  the  winter  campaigns  and   the  lack   of   proper   clothing  and   supplies   the 
state  of  affairs  in  the  Serbian  armies  became  unbelievably  horrible. 


158 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


sharpened  day  by  day.  Half  the  men  looked 
like  pinched  corpses.  We  might  have  been  a 
phantom  army  as  we  marched  through  the 
gray  mist,  past  gray  hills,  gray  water,  gray 
stones,  a  ghostly  army. 

Famished  soldiers  lay  dead  on  the  roadside, 
soldiers  whose  long  fight  with  hunger  was 
over.  Their  bruised  and  naked  feet  had 
ceased  to  tread  the  cruel  path  of  retreat.  They 
lay  in  their  torn  and  tattered  uniforms,  a 
frozen  dignity  ennobling  their  pinched  feat- 
ures.    These  were  the  martyrs  of  the  march. 

How  thankful  I  am  to  be  able  to  turn  from 
this  memor}'  to  the  brighter  picture  of  the 
relief  and  assistance  that  was  sent  from  Amer- 


^•^-'h 


Courtesy    of   American  Red   Cross. 

Red  Cross  Balkan  Survey 

Refugees  following  railroad   tracks  en   route  to 
Gradeltza,  December,   1918. 

ica!  How  they  did  respond,  these  great- 
hearted American  citizens,  to  the  cry  of  an- 
guish from  the  sister  nation,  not  yet  their 
ally  in  arms,  but  already  their  ally  in  the 
ideals  of  democracy  and  freedom  for  which 
she  was  suffering  martyrdom! 

What  quantities  of  hospital  and  relief  sup- 
plies arrived  at  our  Red  Cross  shipping  room 
from  churches,  sewing  circles,  clubs  and  re- 
lief committees  all  over  the  country!  How 
generously  the  precious  money  contributions 
flowed  into  the  Treasurer's  office!  It  is  im- 
possible to  make  an  accurate  estimate  of  either 
the  money  or  materials  that  were  forwarded 
to  Serbia  from  all  points  of  the  United  States 
during  those  terrible  years.  I  shall  try  to 
give  an  idea  of  some  of  the  activities  that 
were  carried  on,  and  submit  a  few  of  the  testi- 


monials of  gratitude  from  the  Serbian  people 
themselves,  and  their  government  officials, 
for  the  friendship  of  America. 

THE  GRATITUDE  OF  THE   SERBS 

And  they  are  intensely  grateful,  these 
proud,  independent  Serbian  people.  The 
most  democratic  of  all  the  Balkan  states, 
there  are  no  paupers  among  them,  and  no 
very  rich.  Each  has  lived  on  his  little  farm, 
and  earned  his  living  with  his  plow  and  his 
sickle.  It  has  been  hard  for  them  to  take 
what  never  before  they  accepted,  the  bread 
of  charity.  But  perhaps  that  has  made  their 
gratitude  all  the  deeper.  The  following  let- 
ter was  received  by  Mr.  Otto  T.  Bannard, 
Treasurer  of  the  Serbian  Hospitals  and  Ser- 
bian Aid  Funds,  from  the  Serbian  Minister  of 
War: 

Ministere  de  la  Guerre  de  Serbie 
Section  dti  Service  de  Sante 
Salonique,  November,  1917 

Most  Honored  Sir: — 

Since  over  two  years  we  are  familiar  with 
your  name  as  Treasurer  of  the  Serbian  Hos- 
pitals and  Serbian  Aid  Funds,  and  member  of 
the  Serbian  Relief  Committee,  founded  by 
Madame  Slavko  Grouitch  in  the  United  States. 
The  work  done  by  American  men  and  women 
both  before  and  after  the  invasion  of  Serbia  by 
the  enemy  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the 
Serbian  people. 

A  certain  number  of  American  doctors  and 
nurses  were  organized  by  Madame  Grouitch 
into  a  Field  Ambulance,  which  went  to  the 
rescue  of  our  brave  troops  who  were  falling 
in  battle  by  the  thousands  on  the  Belgrade  front, 
during  the  terrible  onslaught  of  our  enemies  in 
October,  191 5.  We  ourselves  gave  the  neces- 
sary permission  for  this  undertaking,  furnishing 
a  part  of  the  sanitary  equipment,  and  one  of 
our  own  new  ambulance  cars,  which  had  but 
recently  arrived  from  the  United  States,  where 
it  had  been  purchased  by  our  government.  Dur- 
ing the  retreat,  it  was  necessary  to  destroy  every- 
thing that  could  not  cross  the  terrible  moun- 
tain roads  over  which  our  army  made  its  way 
to  the  Adriatic  coast. 

When  the  equipment  of  our  Sanitary  Service 
was  reassembled,  it  was  found  that  out  of  the 
hundreds  of  ambulance  and  sanitary  wagons, 
automobile,  horse  and  ox  transport,  which  we 
possessed  before  the  invasion,  nothing  that 
went  on  wheels  remained  to  us.     It  was  then 


# 


Fainting  hy  J.    Paul   \'errees 


Red  Cross  Worker  Ministering  to  Refugees 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


159 


that  we  addressed  the  first  appeal  to  the  Fund 
of  which  you  are  Treasurer.  The  immediate 
response  was  an  automobile  ambulance  named 
"Philadelphia,"  an  exact  replica  of  the  one  the 
War  Department  had  confided  to  Madame 
Grouitch. 

More  recently  we  have  received  thirteen  Ford 
motor  ambulances  and  trucks,  together  with  a 
hospital  wagon,  sent  by  your  Fund.  We  note 
that  all   those  bear  the  names  of  the  different 


6.  New    Haven    Motor    Truck    for    Serbia 

7.  New  Bedford       " 

8.  Cambridge 

9.  Springfield 

10.  Stockbridge   Ambulance  "         " 

11.  Given  by  the  Serbians  of  San  Francisco 

12.  Given  by  the  Serbian  Aid  Fund  of  San  Fran- 
cisco 

13.  Serbian  M.  L.  and  R.  Society  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. 


A  Bombed  Hospital  in  Salonika 

Despite  the  large  Red  Cross  insignia  which  was  shown  on  this  hospital  in   many  places   the  Ger- 
man aviators  wrecked  it  by  a  bomb.     Several  patients  were  killed  and  many  more  injured. 


cities  in  which  the  money  for  purchasing  them 
was  given.  We  beg  that  you  will  be  the  inter- 
preter of  our  heartfelt  thanks  to  the  generous 
donors  of  these  ambulances  and  motor  trucks, 
which  are  the  only  ones  actually  possessed  by 
our  War  Department,  although  we  really  re- 
quire at  least  four  for  the  use  of  each  division 
of  our  army  at  the  front,  of  which  there  are 
six.     The  inscriptions  are  as  follows: 

I.  Buffalo  Motor  Truck   No.    i,   for  Serbia 

~  <<  U  ((        <(  ((        II 

-  1<  II       II      II        II      II 

4.    "      "    Van   "   I  " 

-  I!  (I  .(        II       -     II        II 


We  see  by  a  copy  of  your  admirable  Annual 
Report,  which  has  just  come  to  us,  that  those 
ambulances  and  all  this  material  (with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  certain  number  of  cases  of  donated 
supplies)  have  been  purchased  with  money  con- 
tributed in  amounts  varying  from  one  dollar 
to  five  thousand  dollars  per  person,  and  we  fully 
appreciate  the  great  amount  of  incessant  work 
necessary  for  the  accountability  of  such  sums,  as 
well  as  in  the  purchase  of  supplies.  We  rec- 
ognize that  many  of  your  generous  countrymen 
and  women  have  worked  as  well  as  given,  to 
accomplish  the  result  for  which  we  are  so  grate- 
ful. 

Assuring  you  of  the  eternal  gratitude  of  the 


i6o 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Serbian  people  to  all  those  who  have  aided  them 
to  withstand  the  terrible  hardships  and  suffer- 
ings of  this  prolonged  war,  and  with  the  expres- 
sion of  our  warmest  personal  appreciation,  we 
are,  Sir, 

Yours  very  sincerely 

(Signed)      B.  Terzitch, 
Serbian  Minister  of  War. 

COMFORT   KITS    FOR  THE   BRAVE 

Equipment  for  a  five-hundred-bed  hospital 
was  purchased  and  sent  in  August,  1916,  to 
the  Serbian  hospital  authorities,  consisting  of 


Cotirtcsy    of    American    Red    Cross. 

Refugee  Cave  in  Salonika 

There  were  two  people  in  the  cave  when  this 
picture  was  taken,   an  old   man   and   a   woman, 
protected  from  the  weather  only  by  a  small  piece 
of  burlap. 

linen,  hospital  clothing,  underwear,  etc.  Op- 
erating outfits,  sterilizers,  sanitary  and  medi- 
cal outfits  were  also  forwarded.  Many  local 
committees  contributed  either  directly  or  in- 
directly, through  the  appropriation  of  funds, 
to  these  donations.  There  was,  for  example, 
the  Serbian  Distress  Fund,  of  Boston,  which, 
under  the  chairmanship  of  Mr.  Everett 
Morss,  has  done  such  splendid  work.  In 
Philadelphia,  the  Serbian  Relief  Committee 
of  the  Emergency  Aid  gave  notable  service. 
Far-aw-ay  California  organized  the  Serbian 
Relief  Committee,  and  never  has  the  generous 
spirit  of  the  western  part  of  our  country  been 
better  exemplified  than  in  the  quantities  of 
cases  and  the  money  that  flowed  in  a  steady 
stream  across  the  continent  to  our  New  York 


office.  Indeed,  it  would  be  difficult  to  name 
a  section  of  the  country  that  has  not  done 
its  bit  to  relieve  the  suffering,  that  has  not 
heeded  the  appeal  of  the  helpless  women  and 
children  of  Serbia. 

In  19 1 8,  the  Red  Cross  announced  that  it 
would  take  over  the  hospital  work,  and  the 
scope  of  the  activities  of  the  Hospitals  Fund 
was  increased  accordingly,  and  the  name  al- 
tered to  The  Serbian  Aid  Fund. 

There  were  also  many  other  committees,  or- 
ganized for  the  benefit  of  the  Allied  nations, 
which  contributed  generously  again  and  again 
to  Serbia's  cause.  The  National  Allied  Re- 
lief Committee,  the  America's  Allies,  the 
Children's  Tin  Box  Fund,  the  Refugees  Re- 
lief Committee,  various  chapters  of  the  Red 
Cross — the  list  is  too  long  to  enumerate  in 
the  space  of  this  article.  But  every  contribu- 
tion, from  the  thousands  of  dollars  raised  by 
a  great  bazaar  like  Hero  Land,  to  the  dollar 
painfully  collected  in  pennies  and  dimes  that 
were  hoarded  in  some  child's  bank  for  the 
"Serbiums,"  did  its  share  towards  alleviating 
the  suffering,  and,  often,  saving  the  lives  of 
the  destitute  and  homeless  thousands  in  Ser- 
bia. 

Perhaps  the  most  picturesque  of  the  relief 
supplies  forwarded  by  the  Serbian  Aid  Fund 
were  the  Kossovo  Comfort  Kits.  Kossovo 
is  a  sacred  name  with  the  Serbians ;  it  was 
upon  the  field  of  Kossovo,  in  1389,  that  they 
earned  the  right  to  their  exalted  motto — 
"Serbia  surrenders  only  to  God."  These  kits 
consisted  of  a  waterproof  case,  furnished  with 
underwear,  towels,  and  a  few  sanitary  con- 
veniences, such  as  were  issued  by  the  Red 
Cross  to  many  of  the  troops  in  the  Allied 
armies.  But  in  Seibia,  such  comforts  were 
so  scarce  that  the  general  distributed  our 
Kossovo  Kits  to  the  best  and  bravest  of  his 
men,  as  a  sort  of  Croix  de  Guerre.  With 
what  pathetic  joy  and  gratitude  they  were 
received!     Read  General   Michitch's  letter: 

General     Headquarters    of    the 
First  Serbian  Army 
On  the  front  of  Macedonia, 
Section  HI,  December,  1917. 

Dear  Madame: 

The    Colonel   has   sent  me   twenty-nine  cases 

containing  586  Comfort  Kits  which  you  have  had 

the  kindness  to  send  me  for  the  soldiers  of  my 

army. 


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1 62 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


As  soon  as  I  received  the  twenty-nine  cases, 
I  ordered  the  Commanders  of  the  Division  un- 
der my  supervision  to  have  lists  made  up  of  the 
best,  the  bravest,  and  most  disciplined  soldiers, 
to  whom  your  presents  have  been  distributed. 
As  a  result,  five  hundred  and  eighty-six  soldiers 
of  my  army  have  received  your  Kossovo  Kits. 
You  will  find  enclosed  the  lists  of  these  soldiers, 
with  the  signature  of  each,  their  cards  with  their 
personal  acknowledgments  and  thanks,  and 
twenty-four  photographs  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
Cavalry  Division  who  have  received  your  pres- 
ents. 

The  joy  of  these  soldiers  has  been  great  in 
receiving  this  beautiful  and  useful  remembrance 
from  their  friends  in  far-away  America.  They 
have  been  very  much  affected  by  your  sympathy, 
and  are  very  grateful  for  the  presents  you  have 
sent  them. 

I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  assure  you  that  my 
brave  soldiers  are  worthy  of  your  affection  and 
that  they  truly  merit  all  your  sympathy. 

Serbia  will  never  forget  the  great  service 
which  has  been  rendered  in  the  most  difficult 
and  tragic  hours  of  her  history. 

(Signed)     MiCHiTCH. 

YOUNG    HEROES 

One  of  the  most  tragic  results  of  the  re- 
treat was  the  loss  of  thousands  of  little  boys 
under  fifteen  years  of  age,  collected  from  all 
the  villages  on  the  route  of  the  retreat.  They 
stampeded  with  the  army,  hindering  its  move- 
ments, and  suffering  and  dying  by  the  road- 
side, unable  to  keep  up  with  the  march,  and 
live  for  days  without  food,  as  the  army  was 
obliged  to  do. 

When  the  lists  of  Serbian  prisoners  in  Aus- 
trian and  German  prison  camps  began  to 
Teach  the  International  Red  Cross  at  Geneva, 
it  was  discovered  that  nearly  two  thousand 
of  these  boys  had  been  taken  prisoners.  Grad- 
ually, the  Austrian  authorities  separated  the 
boys  from  the  older  men,  placing  them  in 
camps  at  Braunau  and  Neszidar;  here  they 
found  a  refuge  of  a  sort,  under  the  protec- 
tion of  the  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretaries, 
who  provided  schools,  and  su:h  comforts  as 
could  be  obtained.  Later,  after  America  en- 
tered the  war,  the  Danish  Y.  M.  C.  A.  con- 
tinued this  supervision. 

Extra  funds  and  assistance  were,  of  course, 
very  necessary.  From  America  came  pack- 
ages   of    food,    small    comforts,    and    a    few 


little  possessions  to  gladden  their  boyish 
hearts.  Even  the  Austrian  authorities  were 
touched  by  their  pitiful  state;  hundreds  of 
them — hardly  more  than  babies — died  from 
w-ant  of  food.  The  following  letter  is  one  of 
several: 

Prisoners'  Camp 
Braunau,  Nov.  21,  I9i7« 
Most  Honored  Madame: 

The  Secretary  of  the  Y.M.C.A.,  who  has  made 
the  greatest  sacrifices  for  us,  and  is  always 
giving  us  new  proof  of  his  love  and  generosity 
for  us,  has  let  us  know  that  a  new  star  has 
appeared  for  us  in  the  sky,  new  generous  friends 
from  America,  who  are  sending  us  a  great  quan- 
tity of  food  parcels  with  the  most  delicious  con- 
tents. To  these  kind  benefactors,  we  express 
our  eternal  gratitude  in  the  names  of  our  com- 
rades the  Serbian  boys  of  the  prison  camp  school, 
and  we  send  them  our  love,  and  kiss  their 
hands. 

(Signed)    Slokodin    T.  Rad.     T. 


Branko    M. 


Drag.  G. 


The  Serbian  Aid  Fund  made  the  first  at- 
tempt at  reparation  for  some  of  the  awful  sac- 
rifice of  innocent  lives.  "Save  our  children!" 
cried  the  Serbian  martyrs,  "Save  the  Ser- 
bian nation!  Restore  it  to  life!"  The  policy 
which  has  been  continued  ever  since,  was  now 
inaugurated,  of  regular  payments  of  small 
allowances  to  destitute  mothers  with  chil- 
dren. The  following  is  a  letter  received  from 
a  Serbian  Red  Cross  nurse: 

"I  have  seen  five  wars — what  is  Serbia's  his- 
tory but  one  series  of  war? — and  never  have 
I  seen  such  sudden  and  terrible  destitution. 
Wounded  are  lying  everywhere,  in  the  houses, 
on  the  streets,  and  we  are  disturbed  in  our  care 
of  them  by  the  crowd  of  fugitives  pouring  in 
from  outlying  districts.  We  give  them  what 
we  have — oh,  how  little  it  is! — and  we  are  al- 
ways short.  It  is  heartrending  to  have  but  one 
garment  for  two  infants  and  watch  the  mother 
hesitating  as  to  which  she  will  clothe  in  it.  This 
befell  me  this  morning,  and  I  wished  I  had 
my  window  curtains  left  in  Belgrade.  The 
doors  of  the  Red  Cross  Depot  are  thronged 
with  supplicants  for  food  and  lodging.  You 
know  how  proud  our  people  are.  Nobody  wanted 
to  be  rich,  for  all  had  enough,  and  now,  for 
the  first  time,  we  realize  that  we  are  poor. 
Thousands  are  waiting  for  the  promised  help 
from  abroad.     Serbia  is  not  accustomed  to  beg, 

but  the  present  need  is  too  appalling.     Surely  it 

VII— 11 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


163 


is  a  sacred  duty  to  keep  alive  the  orphans  of 
those  who  made  a  rampart  of  their  bodies  on  the 
Save  and  Drina  rivers. 

"All  are  doing  their  best,  from  the  Metro- 
politan to  the  smallest  school-girl.  Plenty  of 
willing  hands  are  here,  but  the  hands  are  now 
empty.  The  Serbian  Sisterhood  knit  where  they 
sit  or  stand,  but  the  supply  of  wool  is  giving 
out.  Nobody  is  to  blame,  for  all  are  equally 
concerned.  There  is  not  one  family  unhurt  by 
the  war.  The  coins  fly  out  of  the  Red  Cross 
boxes  as  soon  as  they  are  dropped  in.  We  have 
soup  kitchens,  refugee  hospitals,  at  every  turn. 
Our  bakers  and  butchers  are  ruined,  for  we  have 
no  money  to  pay  them,  and  they  have  not  the 
heart  to  refuse  us  credit.  One  baker  said  to 
me  weeks  ago:  'I  have  no  son  to  give  to  the 
army,  so  I  suppose  I  must  give  what  else  I 
have.'  He  supplied  this  hospital  gratis  as  long 
as  his  flour  lasted.  Now  he  is  bankrupt.  At 
Svilainits  there  were  3.000  waifs  or  wanderers 
last  week.     The  people  took  them  in. 

"Do  you  know  what  is  sadder  than  a  battle- 
field strewn  with  dead?  It  is  a  yard  thronged 
with  shivering,  homeless  outcasts." 

Monthly  remittances  were  sent  to  families  in- 
side Serbia  under  Austrian  domination.  Money 
was  forwarded  through  the  registered  post,  and 
cards  of  acknowledgment  and  receipts  were  re- 
turned promptly.  Many  of  these  pensioners  were 
people  of  means,  before  the  war  swallowed  all 
their  resources,  who  lived  in  comfort  and  luxury. 
The  acceptance  of  charity,  no  matter  how  deli- 
cately and  sympathetically  given,  is  a  grief  and 
humiliation  hard  to  bear.  None  the  less,  they  are 
very  grateful  for  the  help  given,  as  will  be  seen 
from   the   following   letter: 

April,   1917- 
Madame: 

I  have  received  the  50  francs  monthly  sent 
by  you  for  the  succor  of  my  two  children,  one 
of  whom  was  born  only  ten  days  ago.  As  a 
refugee  I  have  been  obliged  twice  to  flee  before 
the  enemy.  The  first  time  from  my  native 
town  of  Chabatz,  on  the  occasion  of  the  first 
invasion  of  the  Austrlans;  the  second  time  from 
Guevgueli,  before  the  invasion  of  the  Bulgars. 
In  fleeing  before  the  enemy  I  was  left  without 
anything,  as  all  my  belongings  fell  into  their 
hands.  It  is  because  of  this  that  the  help  you 
have  given  me  has  been  so  welcome,  and  above 
all  at  present,  when  the  Bon  Dieu  has  sent  mc 
a  second  child.  I  send,  with  my  children,  my 
profound  thanks,  with  the  prayer  that  God  will 
render  to  you  the  goodness  you  have  shown  to 
me  and  to  my  children  now  when  we  find  our- 
selves in  so  painful  a  situation. 

Thank  you  again  with  all  my  heart. 

(Signed)     Militza  B. 


THE  FAMILY  TIE 

A  number  of  families  took  refuge  In  Sa- 
lonika, in  Switzerland,  and  in  France.  These 
ladies,  often  people  of  refinement  and  edu- 
cation, lived  in  great  misery  \vith  their  chil- 
dren, huddled  together  two  and  three  fam- 
ilies in  a  room.  Think  of  their  mental  state, 
not  knowing  from  day  to  day  the  fate  of 
their  loved  ones  at  the  front,  torn  with  the 
anguish  of  watching  a  child  sicken  and  die 
for  want  of  proper  care,  and  unable  to  procure 
even  decent  food,  with  medicine  and  doctor's 
aid  utterly  unobtainable.     To  some  of  these 


©    Broivn  Bros. 


Salonika  Refugees 

we  were  able  to  allot  funds  contributed  in 
this  country.  I  wonder  if  these  generous- 
hearted  Americans  who  gave  so  gladly,  ever 
realized  quite  what  their  funds  meant  to  these 
stricken  women?  I  am  showing  a  few  of  the 
letters  which  have  been  received,  but  there 
is  so  much  that  cannot  be  expressed,  so  much 
that  can  only  be  understood  by  those  who  saw 
with  their  own  eyes  a  feeble  little  child  creep 
back  again  to  life  and  health  solely  as  a  re- 
sult of  adequate  food  and  care. 

Salonika,  Aug.  20,  191 7. 
As  a  refugee  from  Belgrade  I  am  liv- 
ing here  in  Salonika,  with  my  three  small 
children.  One  is  10  years  old,  the  second  6, 
and  the  third  2  years.  My  husband  is  on  mili- 
tary duty.     As  he  was  a  school  master  before 


164 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


the  war,  he  received  his  pay  now  which  amounts 
monthly  to  $12.00.  This  is  hardly  enough  to 
live  on,  as  you  can  see.  I  beg  you  to  take 
my  situation  into  consideration,  and  help  me, 
so  that  I  may  keep  alive  with  my  children 
until  we  go  back  to  our  country. 

Salonika,   Aug.    18,    1917. 
You  have  kindly  allotted  to  me  $18.00  month- 
ly  as   a   pension   for   my  children.     As   the   life 


Orphaned  and  Homeless  in  Salonika 

in  Salonika,  after  the  great  fire,  has  become 
extremely  expensive,  I  beg  you  most  respectfully, 
Madame,  to  continue  to  give  me  this  help  as 
until  now,  because  that  pension  has  enabled  me 
to  provide  for  my  children  the  necessary  things 
for  keeping  them  in  health.  The  income  of  my 
husband,  captain  in  the  army,  is  so  small,  espe- 
cially when  we  divide  it  in  two  parts — for  him  at 
the  front  and  for  us,  that  I  don't  see  anjthing 
else  for  us  in  the  future  but  a  most  miserable 
life  and  starvation,  unless  your  aid  is  continued. 
Besides  this,  because  of  the  bad  circumstances 


of  life,  we  are  living  in  now,  one  of  our  children 
died  since  I  came  in  here.  What  is  more,  I 
am  myself  often  ill,  so  I  do  not  know  what 
I   am  going  to  buy  sooner — medicine  or  bread. 

In  addition  to  this  my  husband  must,  from 
time  to  time  from  his  small  income,  send  some 
help  for  the  children  of  his  brother,  killed  in 
the  war,  which  remained  with  their  mother  in 
Serbia.  There  are  three  of  them,  aged  seven, 
five   and  three  years. 

I  hope  you  will  kindly  take  in  consideration 
my  situation  described  above,  and  will  not  de- 
prive me  of  the  help  you  have  given  me  until 
now,  and  for  which  I  was  most  grateful  as  well 
as  my  chddren — it  has  enabled  us  to  keep  alive 
during   this    exile    from   our   country. 


FUTURE  LEADERS  OF  SERBIA 

So  much  of  the  manhood  of  Serbia  has  been 
destroyed  that  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  educate  the  remnant  of  her  young  men. 
Many  of  these  young  refugees,  either  in- 
valided from  the  army,  or  too  young  for  serv- 
ice, found  an  asylum  at  Berne,  Switzerland, 
during  the  last  years  of  the  war.  Oppor- 
tunities were  offered  them  by  the  University 
authorities  to  pursue  their  studies  free  of 
charge,  except  for  small  nominal  fees  for 
"school  taxes,"  text-books,  etc.  Thus  these 
young  people  employed  their  exile  in  learning 
useful  professions,  medicine,  agriculture,  and 
the  like,  and  were  able  to  return  to  their 
country  well  equipped  to  take  up  the  gigantic 
task  of  reconstruction.  But  these  boys — there 
were  also  some  young  women — had  no  means 
of  support,  and  a  number  were  in  ill  health, 
and  quite  unable  to  provide  for  themselves  in 
addition  to  pursuing  their  studies.  Thanks 
to  the  American  public,  which,  more  than  any 
other  nation,  appreciates  the  advantages  of 
ample  education,  some  two  hundred  of  these 
young  students  were  able  to  take  advantage 
of  the  course  of  study  at  the  University. 

The  loneliness  and  sorrow  of  these  poor 
children  were  touching.  Exiled,  in  a  foreign 
land,  they  had  lost  home  and  parents.  We 
opened  for  their  comfort  a  Foyer,  or  club 
room,  where  they  might  gather,  keep  alive 
their  native  customs,  and  console  each  other 
in  their  loneliness.  With  charming  dignity 
they  organized  their  club,  elected  officers,  and 
drew  up  a  code  of  rules,  a  copy  of  which  was 
forwarded  to  their  friends  across  the  sea. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


165 


At  Bush  Terminal,  New  York 

Examining  and  packing  clothing  for  Belgian  and  Serbian  sufferers. 


The  fine  spirit  of  these  young  people  is 
shown,  I  think,  in  the  letters  which  have 
come  to  us. 

Berne,    Dec.    31,    1917. 

I  beg  to  thank  you  most  warmly  for  the 
help  that  you  have  given  us,  in  providing  us 
with  winter  coats.  Many  of  us  who  have  come 
here  in  a  bad  condition  of  health,  and  without 
means  to  buy  a  winter  coat,  would  undoubtedly 
have  fallen  ill  if  we  did  not  receive  your  assist- 
ance. 

We  who  were  receiving  and  still  receive  your 
help  consider  ourselves  very  happy  to  be  under 
your  protection  because,  thanks  to  your  efforts 
and  sympathy  for  the  Serbian  students,  you  have 
provided  for  us  means  of  living,  and  given  us 
the  possibility  to  continue  our  studies. 

By  opening  t*he  student's  rest  rooms  in  Geneva, 
you  have  given  us  warm  comfortable  rooms 
where  to  rest  in  this  cold  weather  and  where 
to  meet  our  comrades  and  be  able  to  keep  in 
close  contact  all  of  us  who  have  only  one  aim 
now,  to  use  this  time  in  getting  ready  to  help 
Our  country. 


The  writer  of  the  following  letter  was 
working  under  the  Serbian  Red  Cross  on  the 
Serbian  front,  and  was  badly  wounded  and 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Austrians.  He  had 
both  his  legs  amputated,  and  later  was  re- 
patriated. 

Berne,   July   27,    191 7. 

Since  these  last  two  months  I  have  been  in 
Berne  and  my  artificial  legs  have  been  broken 
two  times.  The  first  time  the  reparation  did 
not  cost  very  much,  so  I  was  able  to  afford  it 
myself.  But  as  this  time  the  bill  will  be  at 
least  80  francs,   I   am  not  able  to  pay  it. 

Wherefore  I  beg  most  respectfully  that  this 
Fund,  if  it  is  possible,  advance  mc  the  necessary 
sum,  so  that  I  should  be  able  to  pay  for  the 
repair  of  my  artificial  legs.  I  would  be  happy 
to  have  an  answer  as  soon  as  possible,  as  I  have 
already  sent  them  to  be  repaired,  and  I  cannot 
walk  without  them,  so  that  I  am  obliged  to 
stay  all  the  time  at  home  and  in  my  bed,  unable 
to  assist  in  my  university  lessons. 

That  the  Serbian  government  appreciated 
the  interest  which  the  great  Ally  took  in  its 


1 66 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


young    men,    the    following   letter    from    the 
Minister  of  Public  Instruction  indicates. 

Corfu,  Aug.  31,  1917- 
I  have  heard  with  profound  satisfaction  of 
the  great  aid  which  you  are  giving  to  many  of 
our  students  in  Switzerland.  By  giving  ma- 
terial possibilities  to  these  young  men  to  enable 
them  to  continue  and  complete  their  education, 
you  are  not  only  rendering  a  service  to  them 
individually,  but  at  the  same  time  you  collabor- 
ate most  successfi'.lly  towards  the  idea  of  our 
government  that  after  so  many  losses  in  the 
ranks  of  our  intellectual  youth,  every  effort 
must  be  made  to  increase  the  number  of  men 
having  university  education,  who  will  be  so 
much  needed  for  work  of  restoration  when  our 
country  shall  be  liberated. 

It  is  for  me  an  agreeable  duty  to  express  my 
heartfelt  gratitude  to  you  and  to  all  those 
who  have  contributed  towards  the  success  of 
your  undertakings  and  to  beg  you  kindly  to 
continue   vour   enlightened   efforts    for  the   edu- 


A  Tiny  War  Victim  In  Salonika 


cation  of  our  young  men   and  women  studying' 
in   Switzerland. 

(Signed)     S.    Trifounovitch. 

THE  exiles'  CHRISTMAS 

Endeavoring  to  preserve  the  national  tra- 
ditions, and  lighten  the  burden  of  their  exile, 
the  students  celebrated  all  festival  days  at 
their  Foyer  according  to  the  Serbian  cus- 
tom. The  following  is  an  account  of  the 
first  Christmas  which  the  Foyer  knew: 

"The  first  rooms  of  the  students,  and  the 
library,  were  decorated  with  evergreens. 
When  the  guests  arrived,  the  Secretary 
greeted  them  with  a  short  address,  explain- 
ing how  the  Foyer  had  been  founded  by 
Madame  Grouitch,  thanks  to  the  generous 
contributions  of  the  friends  of  the  Serbians 
in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  and  he  expressed  to 
them  once  again  on  that  occasion  the  grati- 
tude of  the  students.  Thus  the  Foyer  was 
officially  and  solemnly  opened,  and  the  Sec- 
retary invited  the  guests  to  enter  the  other 
two  rooms. 

"The  first  room  was  entirely  decorated  with 
foliage,  and  in  the  fireplace  burned  a  great 
fire  prepared  for  the  'badgwank'  or  Yule 
Log;  on  the  wall  hung  the  portrait  of  the 
King,  as  well  as  the  photographs  of  Madame 
and  IVIonsieur  Grouitch.  According  to  the 
Serbian  custom,  in  remembrance  of  the  birth 
of  Christ  in  the  stable,  the  floor  was  covered 
with  straw.  In  the  second  room  a  small  col- 
lation, biscuits  and  cakes,  was  prepared. 

"At  about  four  o'clock  three  students  carried 
the  Christmas  log,  decorated  with  the  Serbian 
tri-colored  ribbons,  wishing,  according  to  the 
custom,  a  Merr>^  Christmas.  The  host  of 
the  Foyer  poured  some  honey  and  some 
wheat  on  the  log,  and  then  they  put  it  in  the 
fireplace  while  the  students  sang  the  Serbian 
national  anthem. 

"After  this  they  served  tea.  Recitations,  in- 
strumental music,  songs  in  chorus,  and  solos, 
followed.  Tears  came  to  the  eyes  of  many 
while  listening  to  our  poems  and  patriotic 
songs,  and  the  thoughts  of  their  Christmas 
times  in  the  past,  remembering  the  better 
times,  and  bringing  into  the  hearts  of  all  the 
hope  that  it  would  come  anew. 

"Towards  seven  o'clock,  a  student  came  as 
'polazenick'     wishing    us     'Good-night'     and 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


167 


'Merry  Christmas.'  They  threw  grains  of 
wheat  at  him,  and  he  threw  some  at  us,  and 
then  approaching  the  fire,  shook  it  according 
to  the  old  custom,  wishing  us  a  Happy  New 
Year,  Still  following  the  custom,  he  re- 
ceived some  presents,  which  were  on  this  oc- 
casion a  necktie,  which  Mr.  Grouitch  had 
given  to  the  Foyer,  and  a  good  warm  scarf. 
Ihen  the  priests  sang  in  chorus  the  Christ- 
mas hymn,  and  we  greeted  each  other,  saying, 
'Jesus  Christ  is  born,'  and  answering,  'In- 
deed He  is  born.' 

"Everybody  congratulated  us  on  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Foyer — the  order,  the  cleanliness, 
and  the  comfort  which  ruled  there,  and  gave 
their  sincerest  thanks  to  the  generous  donators 
who  had  founded  it." 

TWO-HANDED   HELP 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  account  of  the  va- 
rious activities,  that  the  assistance  America 
has  given  to  Serbia  falls  into  two  broad  class- 
es: military  hospital  relief,  and  aid  to  the 
unfortunate  civilian  population.  The  sup- 
plementary relief,  furnished  by  popular  sub- 
scriptions, such  as  the  First  American  Field 


Ambulance,  the  quantities  of  hospital  sup- 
plies, clothing,  comforts,  etc.,  I  have  men- 
tioned. The  aid  to  the  civilians  given  by  the 
Red  Cross,  and  by  the  payment  of  allowances 
by  the  Serbian  Aid  Fund  to  destitute  moth- 
ers and  children,  kept  alive  many  people  who 
would  otherwise  have  perished.  Many  of 
the  refugee  families  in  Salonika,  Switzerland, 
and  France  will  always  cherish  America  in 
their  hearts  as  their  preserver  in  their  Geth- 
semane.  The  nation  of  the  future,  recon- 
structed by  the  young  men  and  women  who 
received  their  education  through  American 
generosity,  will  regard  the  United  States  as  a 
foster-mother. 

THE    GREAT    NEED 

I  cannot  close  without  a  word  concerning 
the  reconstruction  work  that  is  being  done  at 
present.  Seldom,  if  ever,  has  a  nation  been 
called  upon  to  face  a  greater  task  than  con- 
fronts Serbia  today.  More  than  400,000  of 
her  children  are  destitute.  Every  scrap  of 
metal  has  been  removed  from  the  country  by 
the  Bulgarians ;  the  population  is  in  rags ; 
all  the  farm  stock  has  been  driven  off  to  Bul- 


Back  Again  to  the  Mother  Country 


A  monument  marks  the  spot  where  the  Serbs  first  reentered  their  own  land  after  their  return  from 

exile. 


i68 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


garia ;  the  sanitary  conditions  are  terrible. 
The  Red  Cross  is  endeavoring  to  relieve  the 
situation,  and  is  also  conducting  campaigns 
for  clothing,  new  and  old.  The  Serbian  Aid 
Fund  and  various  cooperating  committees  are 
forwarding  such  relief  supplies  as  can  be  col- 
lected  from   private  charity. 

But  the  greatest  task  is  the  maintenance 
and  education  of  the  destitute  and  helpless 
little  victims  who  have  somehow  survived  the 
four  terrible  years  of  war.  Many  are  the 
orphans  of  soldiers,  dead  defenders  of  their 
country.  They  must  be  sa'ed ;  the  blood  of 
heroes  is  theirs,  and  it  is  these  children  who 
will  build  the  Serbia  of  tomorrow.  Whether 
the  new  Serbia,  augmented  now  by  the  union 
of  the  Croats  and  Slovenes  into  the  Kingdom 
of  the  Serbs,  Croats  and  Slovenes,  is  a  race 
of  strong  and  sturdy  men,  or  of  pitiful  tu- 
bercular weaklings,  depends  upon  the  care 
which  America  can  furnish  to  these  children 
now.  The  task  is  too  great  for  the  govern- 
ment to  undertake  alone.  They  are  providing 
splendid  vocational  schools,  but  they  are  too 
poor  to  support  400,000  destitute  children. 
So  Serbian  mothers  appeal  to  the  United 
States,  "Send  me  20  cents  a  day,  that  I  may 
keep  my  little  child  with  me,  return  to  my 


little  farm,  and  bring  him  up  to  be  a  man 
of  whom  you  as  well  as  I  may  well  be 
proud." 

1  am  glad  to  say  that  the  appeal  of  the 
widows  and  orphans  of  Serbia  has  not  been 
ignored,  and  that  America  continues  to  send, 
as  she  has  done  in  the  past,  the  assistance 
that  is  so  vitally  necessary.  The  United 
States  was  the  first  of  the  Allied  governments 
to  recognize  and  welcome  the  union  of  all 
the  Serbs,  Croats  and  Slovenes  into  a  United 
Kingdom  under  the  Karageorgevitch  Dy- 
nasty, of  which  Crown  Prince  Alexander  is 
Regent.  The  National  Assembly,  composed 
of  representatives  from  all  the  Jugo-Slav  na- 
tions, is  in  session,  under  the  leadership  of  a 
cabinet  composed  equally  of  the  different  ra- 
cial elements.  The  Allied  governments  are 
giving  every  possible  assistance  to  the  reor- 
ganization of  the  country's  material  re- 
sources. 

This  article  would  not  be  complete  were  I 
to  fail  to  mention  the  aid  and  sympathy  of 
the  American  press,  both  newspapers  and  peri- 
odicals, and  of  the  many  lecturers,  most  of 
them  returned  Red  Cross  workers,  who  have 
striven  to  bring  conditions  and  needs  to  the 
attention  of  the  American  public. 


HOLLAND  AS  A  REFUGE 

When  the  Little  Land  of  Dikes  and  Windmills  Turned  Good  Samaritan 


WHEN,  in  August,  1914,  the  gray  green 
German  horde  drove  through  the  Bel- 
gian lines,  there  began,  precisely  as  a  piston 
would  force  water  from  a  cylinder,  the  migra- 
tion of  homeless  and  hopeless  Belgian  refugees 
over  the  Holland  border.  It  was  a  clicking 
army  of  little  wooden  shoes  as  Belgian  child- 
hood fled  from  the  Beast.  Many  of  these 
children  had  lost  their  parents  and  trudged 
like  lonely  puppies  with  the  weary  mob  that 
sought  for  safety. 

The  frontier  villages  and  towns  in  Hol- 
land gave  the  unhappy  ones  a  noble  hospi- 
tality. The  population  of  Holland  is  six 
million.  By  December  of  that  year  there 
were  one  million  two  hundred  thousand  refu- 


gees in  the  land  of  dikes  and  windmills.  They 
were  housed  in  tents  a  thousand  at  a  time, 
and  in  ships  and  on  canal  boats.  Boy  Scouts 
ladled  out  milk  from  huge  kettles  as  they 
passed,  and  at  Rosendaal  alone  one  thousand 
great  soup  kettles  were  established. 

One  hungry  mouth  was  added  to  every  six 
by  this  influx,  and  Holland  was  herself  facing 
a  serious  food  shortage.  On  one  side  the 
British  Orders  in  Council  forbade  the  impor- 
tation of  food,  lest  that  food  reach  the  enemy. 
On  the  other  side  the  German  submarines 
were  striking  at  every  ship.  Nevertheless, 
Holland  refused  offers  of  money  both  from 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  for,  in 
receiving  Belgium's  suffering  people,  she  was 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


169 


Refugees  in  Holland 


Courtesy    of    Rockefeller   Foundation. 


The  neutral  countries  were  the  haven  of  those  who  lost  their  homes  in  the  storm  of  war. 

land    svstematicallv    cared    for    thousands    of    refugees. 


Hol- 


unwilling  to  share   the   honor  of  her   gener- 
osity. 

The  situation  up  to  January,  191 5,  and  for 
months  afterward,  was  more  than  serious,  for 
both  the  Dutch  people  and  their  guests  were 
on  the  shortest  of  short  rations.  In  January, 
191 5,  the  Netherlands  Overseas  Trust  Com- 
pany was  formed  to  take  the  responsibility  of 
all  shipments  of  food  to  Holland.  This  or- 
ganization, guaranteeing  that  food  received 
would  not  pass  on  to  the  Central  Powers, 
was  more  than  any  other  agency  responsible 
for  averting  a  great  calamity. 

THE  LONG  YEARS  OF  EXILE 

These  Belgians  made  Holland  their  home 
for  four  years,  and  the  long  period  of  their 
exile  under  difficult  conditions  produced  a 
double  result.  First,  the  complete  proof  of 
Holland's  great-hearted  friendliness  and,  sec- 
ond, the  adaptability  of  the  Belgians  them- 
selves. From  the  time  when  the  first  refugee 
crossed  the  southern  frontier  of   Holland   in 


August,  19 14,  their  number  steadily  grew. 
Nevertheless,  not  even  when  this  growing 
army  reached  an  overwhelming  size  did  the 
Dutch  nation  relax  its  complete  command  of 
the  situation  or  give  way  to  confusion. 

One  of  the  first  measures,  after  the  refugees 
had  been  fed  and  given  shelter,  was  to  pro- 
vide them  as  quickly  as  possible  with  work; 
and  it  should  be  said  with  emphasis  that  the 
Belgians  proved  themselves  in  a  high  degree 
responsive  to  every  opportunity  offered  them. 
Holland  did  not  harbor  any  paupers,  for  the 
Belgian  from  childhood  on  is  by  birth  and 
training  and  breeding  a  producer.  That  is 
why  Belgium,  smaller  than  the  State  of  Mary- 
land, ranked  fifth  among  the  commercial  na- 
tions of  the  world. 

HELPING  THE  REFUGEES  TO   HELP   THEM- 
SELVES 

The  Belgian,  again,  did  not  supersede  the 
Dutch  workman,  for  when  he  was  not  labor- 
ing to  satisfy  his  own  needs,  as,  for  example, 


I70 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     JVesttrn   N eiuspaper  Union. 

Dutch  Red  Cross  Volunteers 

The  Dutch  did   not   take   part  in   the  war,  but   they  went   into   it,   nevertheless. 


in  building  refugee  camps,  he  filled  posts 
which  had  become  vacant  because  the  Dutch- 
men who  occupied  them  had  taken  up  arms 
to  defend   the  neutrality  of  their  country. 

This  harmonious  arrangement  was  largely 
due  to  the  Netherlands  Committee  to  Sup- 
port Belgian  and  Other  Victims.  This  Com- 
mittee, under  a  general  governing  board,  was 
subdivided  into  smaller  committees  having 
charge  of  the  education,  monetary  assistance, 
clothing,  shelter,  etc.  It  had  soon  become 
vitally  important  that  there  be  uniformity  in 
thought  and  action  for  the  caring  for  the 
refugees.  The  spontaneous  compassion  of  the 
Dutch  people  for  the  Belgian  men,  women 
and  children  led  to  the  housing  of  refugees  in 
833  of  the  1,120  boroughs  of  Holland.  As  a 
result,  more  than  500  central,  provincial  and 
local  committees  were  formed  to  take  care  of 
the  refugees ;  as  another  result,  there  was  an 
immediate  overlapping  of  effort  and  unavoid- 
able   confusion.      To    offset    this,    there    was 


formed  by  an  Order  in  Council  of  September 
21,  1914,  what  came  to  be  known  as  the 
Government  Committee,  the  formal  title  of 
which  was  the  Central  Committee  to  Protect 
the  Interests  of  Refugees  in  Holland. 

By  this  means,  care  for  the  refugees  was 
centralized  and  placed  under  the  control  of  the 
government,  which  undertook,  among  other 
things,  to  register  every  Belgian  and  to  sup- 
ply information  to  those  who  had  lost  chil- 
dren or  parents  or  relatives.  When,  in  June, 
1917,  this  particular  department  was  turned 
over  to  the  Belgian  government,  it  had  re- 
ceived 29,864  inquiries  relating  to  92,202  in- 
dividuals, and  had  been  able  to  reply  to  19,- 
902  of  them,  covering  the  cases  of  63,024,  in  a 
satisfactory  manner.  Each  member  of  this 
Committee  was  given  a  certain  portion  of  the 
country  to  cover,  wherein  he  put  himself  in 
touch  with  the  local  authorities  and  thus  found 
the  information  necessary  to  sj'stematically 
carr}'  on  the  work. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


171 


EVERY   DUTCHMAN   AND   HIS  WIFE   HELPED 

From  the  south  to  the  north,  in  the  large 
towns  as  well  as  among  the  agricultural  popu- 
lation or  the  graziers,  in  the  industrial  cen- 
ters as  well  as  among  the  peat-moors,  in  the 
Catholic  region  as  well  as  in  those  regions 
where  a  Protestant  population  predominated, 
every  one  tried  to  outdo  every  one  else  in 
helping  the  unhappy  Belgians.  In  many  an 
out-of-the-way  village,  too  small  to  have  an 
organization  of  its  own,  the  farmer's  wife 
might  have  been  seen  cooking  all  day  long, 
while  her  daughters  made  clothes  for  the  Bel- 
gians. There  were  families  who  looked  after 
the  daily  needs  of  as  many  as  eighty  refugees ; 
there  were  other  families  who  gave  shelter  to 
ten  and  fifteen  and  twenty  children.  This 
they  considered  both  a  privilege  and  a  labor 
of  love,  and  many  of  them  expressed  honest 
regret  when  the  government  took  charge  and 
they  were  told  that  they  would  no  longer 
have  to  care  for  their  unbidden  guests. 

When  it  became  apparent  that  the  influx 
of  Belgians  was  more  than  temporary,  and 
when  the  number  of  refugees  had  fallen  off 
until  there  were  only  three-quarters  of  a  mil- 


lion left  (many  of  them  having  been  taken 
to  other  allied  countries,  and  some  of  them 
having  returned  home),  the  temporary  camps 
in  the  south  of  Holland  were  replaced  by 
others  built  by  the  government  at  Nunspeet, 
Ede,  Uden  and  Gouda.  These  camps  accom- 
modated about  25,000  persons  and  toward  the 
end  of  the  war  not  more  than  15,000  were 
left  in  them.  The  Dutch  government  granted 
a  small  subsidy  to  those  private  families  tak- 
ing care  of  Belgian  refugees,  and  so  thorough 
and  systematic  was  the  effort  of  the  govern- 
ment to  give  employment  to  the  Belgians 
within  their  gates  that  not  more  than  40,000 
in  all  became  charges  upon  the  government. 

The  exile  of  the  Belgians  in  Holland  cost 
the  Netherlands  public  treasury  a  consider- 
able sum  of  money,  more  than  twenty  million 
francs  during  the  first  three  years  of  the  war. 
This  amount  the  Belgian  government  off^ered 
to  repay.  The  offer  was  declined  on  the 
ground  that  the  Dutch  government  considered 
that  it  had  done  no  more  than  its  duty! 

It  should  be  stated  here  that  the  50,000 
Belgians,  more  or  less,  who  stayed  in  Holland 
without  receiving  any  support  from  the  gov- 
ernment, were,  in  many  cases,  people  of  means 


©     International  Film  Service. 

American  Red  Cross  Supplies  at  Brest 

The   cigarette   the   doughboy   wanted   when    tired  or  the  dressing  he  needed  when  wounded — they 

both  came  via  the   Red   Cross. 


©    Underwood  and  Underwood. 

Two  Generations  of  Holland  Royalty 

Queen  Wilhelmina,  the  Prince  Consort,  and  their  son,  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  Holland. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY  173 

and  these  were  a  source  of  income  to  Holland,  the  building  and  fitting  up  of  movable  wooden 

If  each   of  them  spent  but  one   franc   daily,  houses  and  schools.     These  were  built  for  the 

Holland  must  have  received  from  this  source  Belgian  government,  with  a  view  to  placing 

alone  seventy-three  million  francs  during  the  at  its  disposal  buildings  which  could  be  taken 

four  years  of  their  sojourn.  apart  and  set  up  again,  suitable  for  the  shel- 
tering of  the  homeless  immediately  after  the 

NOT  CHARITY,  BUT  COOPERATION  deliverance    of    Belgium    from    the    invaders. 

A  donation  of  325,000  francs  from  Denmark, 

Those  who  had  no  means  and  had  to  be  followed  by  other  donations  from  America, 
assisted,  were  not  merely  the  recipients  of  England  and  the  Society  of  Friends,  as  well 
charity.  Very  few  of  them  remained  idle,  for  as  contributions  from  the  Belgian  govern- 
neither  the  Belgian  nor  the  Dutchman  is  a  ment,  laid  the  foundation  for  this  employment, 
friend  to  idleness.  Trade  schools  looked  after  which  was  taken  in  hand  by  the  Government 
the  training  of  men,  women  and  children,  and  Committee  of  Holland.  Apart  from  the  bar- 
any  Belgian  who  could  not  find  employment  racks,  schools,  and  sheds,  large  numbers  of 
in  private  industries  or  in  the  refugee  camps  small  houses  were  built  and  kept  in  readiness 
was  given  work  elsewhere.  The  women  and  for  removal  to  Belgium,  under  the  auspices  of 
elder  girls  worked  in  the  sewing  and  knitting  the  Fonds  du  Roi  Albert,  especially  instituted 
classes.  The  American  Rockefeller  Founda-  for  that  purpose.  Altogether  more  than  400 
tion,  which  had  established  these  classes  all  such  houses  were  built  through  the  activities 
over  Holland,  felt  compelled  in  May,  1915,  to  of  the  central  committee  alone,  while  many 
give  them  up.  The  Dutch  government  there-  other  committees  engaged  in  similar  work, 
upon  enabled  the  central  committee  to  con-  In  building  these  houses  a  system  was  adopted 
tinue  this  work,  at  an  initial  cost  of  35,000  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  thrift  and  am.- 
francs  a  month.  At  first  there  were  twenty-  bition  among  the  workmen.  A  salary  of  two 
six  of  these  sewing  classes.  This  number  de-  francs  a  week  was  paid,  in  addition  to  free 
creased  as  the  women  and  girls  became  pro-  board,  lodging  and  clothing.  Half  of  this 
ficient,  and  on  July  ist,  191 8,  2,475  women  wage  was  deposited  to  the  credit  of  the  work- 
and  484  sewing  machines  were  kept  busy  at  man  in  the  savings  bank,  to  be  kept  until  his 
this  one  small  branch  of  activity  alone.  The  departure  for  Belgium,  when  the  accumulated 
output  from  this  source  commands  respect.  sum  was  turned  over  to  him.  Further,  a 
From  June,  1915,  to  June,  1918,  a  million  furnished  and  heated  movable  house  was  given 
and  a  quarter  articles  of  clothing,  either  sewn  to  each  group  of  builders,  while  the  tools  fur- 
or knit,  were  produced,  a  large  part  of  which  nished  them  by  the  Dutch  government  be- 
were  given  to  the  refugees  themselves,  while  came  their  property  upon  their  return  home — 
the  rest  were  purchased  by  the  Central  Mili-  thus  enabling  them  to  earn  a  living  immedi- 
tary  Clothing  Institution  at  Amsterdam,  so  ately  upon  their  arrival.  Carpenters,  black- 
that  the  surplus  production  was  disposed  of  smiths,  cabinet-makers,  joiners  and  painters 
at  a  good  price.  During  this  same  period  these  were  developed  and  used  in  building  these 
classes  supplied  to  the  Military  Clothing  In-  houses. 

stitutions,    over    and   above    what   was   given  No  record  of  Holland's  work  for  her  Bel- 

away  to  the  refugees,  more  than  one  hundred  gian  guests  would  be  complete  without  a  men- 

and    twenty-five    thousand    francs'    worth    of  tion  of  the  English  Society  of  Friends,  which 

goods.     This  amount  is  significant  in  that  it  played  a  large  part  in  procuring  em.ployment 

proves  convincingly  the  effort  of  the  Belgians  for  refugees.     At  Gouda  alone,  64  movable 

to  make  themselves  as  useful  as  possible,  and  wooden  houses  were  built,  while  at  Ede,  Nuns- 

to  avoid  being  a  charge  upon  their  hosts.  peet  and  Uden,  workshops  were  erected  and 

used  for  the  manufacture  of  basket  ware,  rush 

TRADE  SCHOOLS  AND  TRAINING  bottoms  for  chairs,  brushes  and  toys    _  These 

articles  were  sold  for  the  benefit  of  their  mak- 

Other   groups   of   unemployed   were   given  ers,  chiefly  in  England, 
training  in  trade  schools,  upon  leaving  which  When  the  refugee  camp  at  Ede  was  finally 

they  were  engaged  at  a  remunerative  rate  for  given    up    by   the    Dutch    government,    there 


174 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


iQ     Undericood  and   Underwood. 


Dutch  Nuns  Nursing  Wounded  German  Soldiers 

The   Red    Cross    Hospital   at    Maestrich   where    German    soldiers    were    cared    for    by    Sisters    of 
Charity    of    Holland.      The    ward    adjoining    the  one  here  shown  was  filled  with  Belgians. 


being  no  longer  enough  Belgians  there  to  war- 
rant its  continuance,  the  dwellings  at  that 
place,  instead  of  being  taken  to  pieces,  were 
turned  over  to  two  ladies  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  who  carried  on  the  important  work 
of  caring  for  some  six  hundred  inmates  who 
would  otherwise  have  had  to  be  sent  to  other 
camps. 

The  Society  of  Friends  further  instituted 
the  Boy  Scout  Organization  at  all  places  of 
refuge. 

INTERNED  SOLDIERS  WORKED  TOO 

As  has  been  explained,  the  Belgian  civilian 
refugees,  men,  women  and  children,  were 
given  opportunity  by  the  Dutch  government 
to  accumulate  money  through  their  own  ef- 
forts; this  in  addition  to  supporting  them- 
selves. The  same  system  was  applied  to  in- 
terned Belgian  soldiers,  who  paid  part  of  their 
earnings  into  a  savings  fund.  Although  these 
interned  soldiers  could  not  be  classed  as  refu- 
gees, it  is  interesting  to  note  that  of  the  29,000 


in  Holland,  more  than  16,000  found  em- 
ployment, and  that  these  deposited  more  than 
5,000,000  guilders  ($2,000,000)  in  their  sav- 
ings fund.  Here  again  is  an  example  of 
Dutch  thrift;  all  married  men  turned  over 
ten  per  cent,  of  their  wages,  exclusive  of 
board  and  lodging  and  clothing,  while  the 
bachelors  were  permitted  to  keep  but  a  small 
part  of  their  earnings  for  pocket  money.  That 
these  men  managed  to  accumulate  5,000,000 
guilders  is  sufficient  evidence  that  they  did  not 
pass  their  time  in  innocuous  desuetude. 

The  destitute  families  of  interned  Belgian 
soldiers  were  intrusted  to  a  committee  of  the 
Dutch  government.  Family  camps  were 
built  at  Soesterberg,  Harderwijk  and  Gaaster- 
land  by  this  committee,  which  supported  and 
cared  for  those  families,  all  expenses  being 
borne  by  the  Dutch  government. 

WHAT  HOLLAND  GAINED 

The  Belgian  workmen  exiled  In  Holland 
performed  m.any  tasks  of  real  economic  value 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


175 


to  that  country,  for  instance,  the  presence  of 
a  large  number  of  skilled  Belgian  miners  con- 
siderably increased  the  output  of  the  Dutch 
mines  at  a  time  when  such  an  increase  was  of 
peculiar  importance.  The  brass  and  iron 
foundries,  as  well  as  the  engineering  works, 
were  fortunate  in  getting  Belgian  recruits  at 
a  time  when  a  large  part  of  Holland's  man- 
hood was  mobilized  in  the  army  on  her  fron- 
tiers. Belgium  was  the  home  of  fine  lace, 
and  the  Belgian  women  taught  this  art  to  their 
Dutch  sisters,  while  the  hemp  industry  was 
also  introduced  into  Holland  by  the  Belgians. 
In  a  word,  the  Dutch  came  to  appreciate 
the  Belgians  as  reliable  and  industrious  work- 


ers. They  came  across  the  border  from  the 
fire  of  war.  Instead  of  being  broken  by  the 
misery  and  misfortune  that  was  their  lot,  they 
responded  splendidly  to  the  opportunities  given 
them..  Holland  received  them  with  a  hospi- 
tality as  generous  as  an  Arab's.  She  saw 
her  small  population  increased  by  more  than 
a  million  hungry  strangers  at  a  time  when 
she  herself  was  hard-pressed  for  food,  yet  not 
for  a  moment  did  she  hesitate.  She  saw, 
further,  the  suffering  and  poverty  that  war 
had  brought  upon  the  Belgians,  and,  seeing, 
guarded  her  own  neutrality  as  vigorously  as 
she  watched  over  the  refugees  that  came  to 
her. 


REHABILITATION  OF  THE  DISABLED* 

Remaking  the  Body  and  the  Spirit 
By  Frank  Billings,  M.D.,  Colonel,  M.  C,  U.  S.  Army 


THE  World  War  has  aroused  a  universal 
interest  in  the  physical  and  mental  re- 
habilitation of  disabled  soldiers.  The  instru- 
ments of  destruction  of  modern  warfare  sac- 
rificed millions  of  lives  and  disabled  a  multi- 
tude of  men.  To  conserve  man  power  it  be- 
came necessary  for  the  European  countries  en- 
gaged in  the  war  to  study  and  apply  all  pos- 
sible measures  to  protect  the  lives  and  health 
of  the  soldier.  The  use  by  the  Central  Pow- 
ers of  offensive  and  destructive  measures  in 
the  way  of  high  explosives,  poisonous  gases, 
liquid  fire  and  other  devices,  produced  injuries 
requiring  special  measures  of  prevention  and 
efficient  surgical  and  medical  management 
which  could  be  developed  only  after  careful 
research  and  study. 

The  final  year  of  the  war  was  illuminated 
by  remarkable  results  of  the  practical  appli- 
cation of  known  and  new  measures  of  pre- 
vention of  disease,  and  military  surgery 
reached  a  stage  of  technical  skill  and  efficiency 
heretofore  unknown. 

EUROPEAN    METHODS    OF    REHABILITATION 

In  addition  to  ordinary  medical  and  surgi- 
cal care,  all  the  European  countries  engaged 

*  Reprinted    by    permission    of 


in  the  war  adopted  measures  to  hasten  physi- 
cal and  functional  restoration  by  the  applica- 
tion of  special  therapeutic  measures  grouped 
under  the  heading  of  physical  and  mental  re- 
construction   or    rehabilitation. 

The  program  of  rehabilitation  included 
physiotherapy,  embracing  hydrotherapy,  elec- 
trotherapy and  thermotherapy ;  exercise,  pas- 
sive (massage,  mechanotherapy)  and  active 
(graduated  calisthenics  and  special  training, 
military  drill  and  games  in  the  gymnasium 
and  out  of  doors)  ;  and  occupational  therapy 
in  the  application  of  manual  and  mental  train- 
ing and  education  in  wards,  workshops  and 
schools  and  in  gardens  and  fields.  For  the 
soldiers  still  fit  for  combat  or  for  special  mili- 
tary service,  convalescent  training  centers 
were  maintained,  where,  by  means  of  military 
drill,  instruction  in  individual  and  general 
hygiene,  and  play,  the  final  hardening  and 
restoration  were  completed. 

All  of  the  Allied  countries  of  Europe,  to- 
gether with  Canada,  endeavored  to  train  and 
educate  the  soldiers  who  were  so  disabled  by 
disease  or  injury  that  they  were  no  longer 
fit  for  any  kind  of  military  service,  to  qualify 
them  to  take  their  place  in  the  civilian  in- 
dustrial army. 

the    American    Medical  Association. 


176 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 

From  Bonnie  Scotland 

A  wounded  member  of  Uncle  Sam's  cosmopoli- 
tan army. 

The  rehabilitation  program  of  these  countries 
was  carried  on  through  a  plan  of  coopera- 
tion of  the  military  and  civilian  authorities. 
Limited  time  and  space  do  not  permit  one 
to  give  here  details  of  the  program  and  the 
results  of  rehabilitation  of  the  disabled  as 
practiced  by  the  Allied  countries  associated 
with  us  in  the  M'ar. 

AMERICAN   PROGRAM 

The  United  States  became  engaged  in  the 
war  so  late  that  our  government  was  able  to 
take  advantage  of  the  knowledge  acquired  by 
the  Entente  governments  by  a  bitter  experi- 
ence in  defensive  and  offensive  warfare,  in 
measures  of  protection  and  prevention  of  in- 
jury and  death.  The  Medical  Department 
of  our  Army  shared  in  the  opportunity  to  ap- 
ply the  newer  military  medicine  and  surgery 
in  the  prevention  and  treatment  of  disease 
and  injury.  The  program  of  our  government 
for  the  care  of  the  soldier  and  his  dependents 
embraced: 


I.-  The  creation  of  the  Bureau  of  War  Risk 
Insurance,  in  the  Treasury  Department,  with 
provisions  for  voluntary  life  insurance  with 
tlie  payment  of  a  monthly  premium  of  moder- 
ate amount  from  the  soldier's  pay ;  provision 
for  monthly  allotment  to  the  soldier's  depen- 
dent family  and  provision  for  the  payment 
of  a  monthly  pension  after  discharge  for  a 
permanent  disability  acquired  in  the  line  of 
duty. 

2.  The  Medical  Department  of  the  Army 
was  authorized  by  the  War  Department  to 
include  measures  of  physical  reconstruction  in 
the  treatment  of  the  sick  and  wounded  sol- 
diers, including  the  employment  of  curative 
work  carried  to  the  degree  of  prevocational 
or  vocational  training  and  education,  to  fit 
them  for  further  general  or  special  military 
service ;  or,  if  unfit  for  further  military  service, 
to  discharge  them  from  the  Army  after  the 
maximum  physical  and  functional  result  was 
obtained. 

3.  The  Congress  enacted  a  law  approved 
by  the  President,  June  27,  191 8,  which  made 
the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational  Education 
responsible  for  the  vocational  training  and 
education  of  compensable  disabled  soldiers 
after  their  discharge  from  the  Army. 

4.  The  Congress  has  provided  appropria- 
tions and  has  made  the  Public  Health  Service 
responsible  for  the  hospital  care  of  compen- 
sable disabled  soldiers  who  may  require  treat- 
ment after  their  discharge  from  the  Army. 

The  policy  adopted  by  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  Army,  in  the  attempt  to  fulfil  its 
obligations  to  the  government  and  the  soldier, 
embraced  a  program  of  measures  of  preven- 
tion and  treatment  of  disease  and  injuries,  in- 
cluding mental  and  physical  reconstruction  or 
rehabilitation,  based  on  accumulated  experi- 
ence and  knowledge. 

Advantage  was  taken  of  all  available  knowl- 
edge gained  by  the  medical  departments  of 
the  armies  and  governmental  and  other  agen- 
cies of  our  Allies.  American  officers  and 
American  hospital  units  served  with  the  Eng- 
lish and  French  armies  before  we  had  devel- 
oped an  army  overseas.  Hundreds  of  these 
medical  officers,  medical  enlisted  personnel 
and  American  nurses  acquired  a  first-hand 
knowledge  of  modern  militar)'  medicine  and 
surgery,  enabling  them  to  give  efficient  service 
in  our  own  Army  overseas  and  at  home. 


3 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


177 


ORGANIZATION    OF   ARMY   MEDICAL  DEPART- 
MENT 

One  pf  the  remarkable  developments  of  the 
war  was  the  organization  of  the  Medical  De- 
partment of  the  Army.  Our  country  was  un- 
prepared for  war  on  April  6,  191 7.  Our 
Regular  Army  establishment  was  efficient  but 
small.  The  regular  Medical  Corps  numbered 
less  than  500  commissioned  officers.  As  a 
rule  they  were  a  fine  and  upstanding  body  of 
men,  many  of  them  well  qualified  for  ad- 
ministrative duty  and  as  surgeons  and  physi- 
cians, a  few  with  world-wide  reputation  in 
research  work  and  as  sanitarians.  At  the  call 
of  the  Surgeon  General  the  medical  profes- 
sion responded  by  volunteering  for  service. 
J'  The  large  majority  of  these  men  were  un- 
trained in  military  tactics  and  knew  but  little 
of  military  medicine.  But  among  them  were 
many  of  the  best  qualified  physicians,  sur- 
geons and  specialists  of  our  country.  The 
majority  quickly  overcame  the  handicap  of 
lack  of  pure  military  knowledge,  and  gave 
service  at  home  and  overseas  which  evoked  the 
praise  of  the  chief  commander  of  the  Ameri- 
can Expeditionary  Forces  and  of  the  Surgeon 
General.  Nor  must  one  lose  sight  of  the 
spontaneous  response  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion to  the  call  of  the  Provost  Marshal  Gen- 
eral for  service  on  draft  boards,  and  of  the  effi- 
cient manner  in  which  this  service  was  ren- 
dered. 

DISEASE    AND    INJURY    PREVENTION' 

The  subject  of  rehabilitation  of  the  dis- 
abled soldier  involves  the  application  of  meas- 
ures of  disease  and  injury  prevention.  The 
principles  involved  in  the  problem  of  disease 
and  injury  prevention  as  applied  to  our  Army 
were  made  more  difficult  by  many  factors. 
Men  were  inducted  into  military  service  be- 
fore the  training  camps  were  completed;  it 
was  practically  impossible  to  place  non-im- 
mune suspects  in  detention  quarters  for  a 
sufficient  period  of  observation,  and  infectious 
disease  carriers  thus  spread  measles,  scarlet 
fever  and  cerebrospinal  meningitis  among  the 
susceptible  troops.  The  winter  of  19 17-18 
was  characterized  by  severe  cold  and  much 
snow,  and  the  newly  organized  Medical 
Corps  officers  were  insufficient  in  number  and 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 

A  Viking 

Another  member  of   Uncle  Sam's   cosmopolitan 

army. 

many  were  inexperienced  at  the  beginning  in 
how  best  to  deal  effectively  with  the  big  and 
difficult  problems.  In  the  late  summer  and 
fall  of  191 8  the  world-wide  severe  epidemic  of 
influenza  reaped  an  abundant  harvest  of  lives 
of  soldiers  and  civilians.  A  malignant  type 
of  pneumonia,  characteristic  of  all  epidemics 
of  influenza,  was  the  chief  cause  of  death. 
To  all  of  these  embarrassments  in  the  applica- 
tion of  measures  of  disease  and  injury  pre- 
vention must  be  added  the  risk  of  the  trans- 
portation of  a  large  army  in  dense  concen- 
tration by  train  in  the  United  States  and  in 
France,  England  and  Italy,  and  in  equally 
crowded  ships  across  the  ocean.  When  over- 
seas the  soldiers  met  a  trying  climate,  more  or 
less  uncontrollable  insanitary  environment  of 
villages  where  they  were  billeted,  or  still 
worse  conditions  in  the  trenches  or  when  ad- 
vancing and  living  for  days  and  weeks  in  a 
territory  occupied  by  the  armies  of  friend  and 
foe  for  four  years,  the  soil  foul  and  infected ; 
and    finallv   thev   had    to   face   a    murderous, 


178 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Courtesy   of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 

Sometime   from  Africa 

A    full-blooded    Negro    wounded    while    fighting 
in  France. 

vicious  foe  who  utilized  every  destructive  ele- 
ment known  to  science  and  the  devil  to  kill, 
wound  or  maim  the  opposing  army. 

But  with  all  these  embarrassments,  diffi- 
culties and  universal  disability  producing 
causes,  the  program  of  disease  and  injury  pre- 
vention, and  the  medical  and  surgical  man- 
agement of  our  sick  and  injured  soldiers  was 
carried  out  by  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
Army  in  a  manner  so  successful  that  it  justi- 
fied the  praise  given  by  the  chief  commander 
of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  and  of 
the  War  Department. 

In  the  making  of  our  Army  we  selected  the 
best  of  our  young  men  from  a  physical  point 
of  view.  Ever}^  man  was  immunized  as  a 
protection  against  smallpox,  typhoid  and  para- 
typhoid fevers  by  standardized  vaccines.  Ade- 
quate clothing  and  blankets  gave  protection 
to  the  body.  The  American  military  shoe, 
the  product  of  a  research  made  by  a  regular 
Medical  Corps  officer,  made  him  the  best  shod 
man  of  any  army.     Military  drill  and  special 


training,  discipline,  life  in  the  open,  an  abun- 
dant balanced  ration  and  regular  hours  soon 
made  an  army  of  upstanding  and  physically 
fit  men  ready  for  any  job.  These  new  sol- 
diers seemed  to  embody  and  demonstrate  the 
spirit  of  patriotism  of  the  nation.  Physically 
and  spiritually  they  had  taken  over  new  re- 
sistance to  disease  or  injury.  These  same 
qualities  made  them  bear  disaster,  when  it 
fell,  with  a  courage  and  stoicism  rarely  seen  in 
other  men. 

Overseas,  special  centers  provided  facilities 
for  the  correction  of  defects  which  were  re- 
mediable by  special  training  under  qualified 
specialists,  and  put  the  finishing  touch  on  all. 
Prevention  of  combat  injury  was  difficult  at 
all  stages  of  the  war,  owing  to  the  nature  of 
the  weapons  and  destructive  elements  util- 
ized by  the  enemy.  Metal  helmets  and  gas 
masks  afforded  some  protection,  but  never 
wholly   adequate. 

During  the  last  year  of  the  war  many  lives 
were  saved  and  in  many  cases  permanent  dis- 
ability was  obviated  by  the  employment  of 
efficient  medical  and  surgical  care.  This  mod- 
ern military  medicine  and  surgery  was  the 
outgrow^th  of  the  combined  experience  of  the 
medical  departments  of  the  armies  of  the  Al- 
lies and  the  United  States,  including  coopera- 
tive research  and  clinical  conferences. 

FIRST  AID 

On  the  field  the  well  trained  medical  per- 
sonnel applied  first  aid  and  immobilized  frac- 
tures with  standardized  splints  carried  to  the 
field.  This  obviated  further  trauma  of  the 
tissues  by  the  bone  fragments  during  trans- 
portation to  the  rear.  At  evacuation  hospi- 
tals, within  the  combat  zone  and  often  subject 
to  artillery  fire,  operations  including  the  grav- 
est major  surger}^  were  performed  wnthin  a 
few  hours  after  the  injury  was  received.  Un- 
fortunately, in  some  battles  on  difficult  terrain, 
or  in  cases  in  which  the'^battle  was  marked  by 
fierce  fighting  and  rapid  advance,  the  evacua- 
tion of  the  injured  was  necessarily  delayed. 
The  soil  of  "No  Man's  Land"  was  always  a 
source  of  danger  of  serious  infection  to  the 
wounded.  Nevertheless,  the  application  of 
the  new  principles  of  prevention  of  additional 
trauma  during  evacuation   from   the  field  by 

proper  fixation  with  splints,  early  and  thor- 

vn— 12 


1 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


179 


ough  cleansing  of  the  wounds,  by  the  removal 
of  all  foreign  bodies  and  of  devitalized  tissues 
with  open  drainage,  obviated  to  a  great  extent 
gangrene  and  other  serious  types  of  infection, 
which  were  such  a  frequent  cause  of  the  loss 
of  life  and  limb  in  the  first  years  of  the  war. 
This  explains  the  relatively  small  number  of 
permanent  disabilities  through  the  loss  of  legs 
or  arms  of  our  disabled  men.  The  successful 
application  of  lung  surgery  at  evacuation  hos- 
pitals, and  the  life  saving  result,  is  one  of  the 
remarkable  events  of  the  last  year  of  the 
war. 

The  remarkable  results  of  the  treatment  of 
the  patients  suffering  from  so-called  "shell 
shock"  was  due  to  the  application  of  the  knowl- 
edge gained  by  military  clinical  experience. 
If  this  successful  treatment  had  not  been  ap- 
plied, thousands  of  soldiers  would  have  been 
discharged  suffering  from  types  of  mental  and 
nervous  disability.  In  the  home  environment 
and  under  the  influence  of  the  desire  for  a 
pension,  many  would  become  permanent  in- 
valids— an  enormous  loss  to  the  industrial 
world,  and  a  continued  financial  burden  to  the 
government. 

STATISTICS    AS    TO    DISEASE    AND    INJURY 

In  the  discussion  of  the  results  of  the  ap- 
plication of  measures  of  disease  and  injury 
prevention,  I  am  permitted  to  quote  available 
statistics.  They  are  subject  to  correction  after 
all  data  shall  have  been  definitely  verified. 
The  deaths  from  typhoid  and  paratyphoid 
fevers  in  the  domestic  forces  from  Sept.  i, 
191 7,  to  March  28,  1919,  were  fifty.  In  the 
American  Expeditionary  Forces  from  Oct.  18, 
19 1 7,  to  March  28,  1919,  there  were  146,  or 
a  total  in  the  U.  S.  Army  of  196.  This  gives 
an  annual  death  rate  for  typhoid  and  para- 
typhoid fevers  of  0.06  per  thousand.  The  effi- 
cient work  of  draft  boards  and  of  medical  ex- 
amining boards  of  training  camps  detected  and 
rejected  approximately  50,000  tuberculous 
men.  Pulmonary  tuberculosis  developed  in 
approximately  11,000  or  possibly  12,000  sol- 
diers, of  whom  1,036  died,  giving  an  an- 
nual death  rate  in  the  whole  army  of  0.316 
per  thousand.  The  total  deaths  from  other 
infectious  diseases  were:  for  meningitis,  2,055, 
giving  a  rate  of  0.63  per  thousand;  measles, 
119,  or  0.036  per  thousand;  scarlet  fever,  163, 


'^; 


-^ 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazme. 

"Tommy  Atkins" 

He  was  wounded  while  fighting  under  the  Stars 
and  Stripes. 

or  0.051  per  thousand;  dysentery,  41,  or  O.ooi 
per  thousand;  and  empyema,  490,  or  0.148  per 
thousand. 

The  pandemic  of  influenza  complicated  with 
a  malignant  type  of  pneumonia  was  the  chief 
cause  of  death  from  disease  in  the  Army  at 
home  and  overseas.  The  medical  profession, 
both  civil  and  military,  was  unable  success- 
fully to  institute  measures  of  prevention  or 
cure.  The  total  number  of  deaths  in  the 
whole  Army  from  Sept.  i,  191 7,  to  March 
28,  1919,  was  approximately  39,493,  which 
gives  an  annual  death  rate  of  11.997  P^^ 
thousand.  During  the  same  period  of  time 
the  total  deaths  from  disease,  including  pneu- 
monia, was  48,670,  with  a  rate  of  14.797  per 
thousand.  The  efficiency  of  the  application  of 
measures  of  disease  prevention  and  of  treat- 
ment is  shown  by  the  total  deaths  from  disease 
alone,  exclusive  of  pneumonia,  which  were  ap- 
proximately 9,177,  giving  an  annual  rate  of 
2.80  per  thousand. 

The  efficiency  of  modern  military  surgery  is 


i8o 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


■•s 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 

From  Tragic  Armenia 

He  avenged  his  persecuted  countrymen  by  light- 
ing with  the  doughboys  in  France. 

evidenced  by  the  official  statement  that  85.5 
per  cent,  of  combat  injured  soldiers  of  our 
Army  returned  to  combat  service,  and  5  per 
cent,  were  made  fit  for  special  or  limited  mili- 
tary duty  in  the  rear  areas. 

The  remaining  approximately  lo  per  cent, 
of  the  combat  injured  were  so  severely  dis- 
abled that  death  occurred  or  the  nature  of 
the  disability  made  them  unfit  for  further 
military  service.  These  included  the  blind, 
the  deaf,  patients  with  amputation  of  limbs, 
serious  maxillofacial  injury,  serious  peripheral 
nerve  injury,  empyema  from  trauma  of  lung 
or  pleura,  and  other  surgical  conditions. 

We  may  be  justly  proud  of  the  accomplish- 
ments of  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
United  States  Army  in  the  world  war.  Seri- 
ous mistakes  occurred,  due  often  to  uncon- 
trollable conditions  and  situations.  The 
medical  program  of  hospital  construction, 
supplies,  equipment,  transportation  and  count- 
less other  needs  had  to  be  modified  or  to  wait 
on   other  parts   of  the  war   program   of   the 


government.  We  know  that  many  mistakes 
occurred,  some  serious  ones,  too,  in  regard  to 
details,  but  the  whole  vast  program  of  the 
government  went  through.  The  end  sought 
was  obtained  much  earlier  and  more  satisfac- 
torily than  was  anticipated.  If  the  big  gov- 
ernmental program  had  been  carried  through 
less  expeditiously,  perhaps  fewer  mistakes 
would  have  been  made  in  all  departments. 
But  had  we  worked  with  less  haste  one  won- 
ders whether  the  Allied  armies  would  now 
be  astride  the  Rhine. 

The  policy  of  the  IVIedical  Department  for 
the  physical  reconstruction  of  disabled  sol- 
diers, and  later  extended  to  disabled  sailors 
and  marines,  was  formulated  in  August,  191 7, 
applied  in  some  of  the  general  military  hos- 
pitals early  in  191 8  and  approved  by  the 
War  Department,  July  29,  191 8.  Physical 
reconstruction  was  defined  as  continued  man- 
agement and  treatment  carried  to  the  fullest 
degree  of  maximum  physical  and  functional 
restoration,  consistent  with  the  nature  of  the 
disability,  by  the  employment  of  all  known 
measures  of  modern  medical  management,  in- 
cluding physical  therapy,  manual  and  mental 
work  and  recreational  play. 

To  carry  out  this  policy  a  program  was 
formulated  to  establish  a  department  of  edu- 
cation and  a  department  of  physiotherapy  in 
each  of  the  general  military  hospitals  desig- 
nated by  the  Surgeon  General  to  function  in 
the  physical  reconstruction  of  disabled  soldiers. 
A  division  of  physical  reconstruction  in  the 
Surgeon  General's  Office  was  organized,  with 
a  director  to  be  responsible  for  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  work.  Subsections  on  education 
and  on  physiotherapy,  each  with  a  director, 
were  established  in  the  division. 

PERSONNEL     OF     EDUCATIONAL     DEPARTMENT 

To  establish  the  educational  department 
with  efficient  standards,  the  Surgeon  General 
was  fortunately  able  to  secure  the  services  of 
Dean  James  E.  Russell  of  Teachers  College, 
Columbia  University,  to  serve  as  the  admin- 
istrative director.  Dean  Russell  was  unable 
to  accept  the  place  permanently,  but  volun- 
teered to  give  his  services  in  an  advisory  ca- 
pacity for  several  days  of  each  week  in  the 
organization  of  the  educational  department. 
This   he   did    without   compensation    for   the 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


i8i 


period  of  five  months,  when  he  was  obliged 
to  return  to  his  duties  at  Columbia  College. 
Dean  C.  D,  Coffman  of  the  University  of 
Minnesota  occupied  a  similar  position  in  the 
office  as  a  volunteer  without  compensation  on 
the  retirement  of  Dean  Russell. 

Through  the  efficient  service  of  these  two 
patriotic  men,  aided  by  other  qualified  general 
and  special  educators,  who  came  into  service 
commissioned  in  the  Sanitary  Corps  of  the 
Medical  Department,  the  Surgeon  General 
was  enabled  to  establish  educational  depart- 
ments and  the  needed  personnel  in  each  of  the 
military  hospitals  where  the  work  was  re- 
quired. Each  hospital  was  supplied  with  a 
chief  educational  administrative  officer,  com- 
missioned officers  qualified  as  general  and  spe- 
cial educators  and  psychologists,  and  non- 
commissioned and  enlisted  men  able  to  serve 
as  teachers  and  instructors  of  patients  in  the 
application  of  curative  work  in  the  program 
of  physical  reconstruction. 

The  director  of  physiotherapy  in  the  office 
was  able  to  secure  a  sufficient  number  of  qual- 
ified medical  officers  to  serve  as  directors  of 
the  work,  and  a  personnel  of  other  commis- 
sioned officers,  noncommissioned  and  enlisted 
men  and  trained  qualified  women  aides  in 
physiotherapy  efficiently  to  apply  physical 
treatment  to  disabled  men. 

Recreation  in  the  form  of  exercise  in  gym- 
nasiums and  cut  of  door  games  was  secured 
through  the  American  Red  Cross  cooperating 
with  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus, the  Jewish  Welfare  Board  and,  in  the 
base  hospitals  and  convalescent  centers, 
through  the  War  Department  Training  Camp 
Activities. 

WARD   WORK 

In  the  application  of  the  curative  workshop 
schedule,  work  in  the  wards  for  bed  and  chair 
patients  was  applied  by  women  as  reconstruc- 
tion aides  in  occupational  therapy.  These 
women  were  qualified  for  the  work  by  expe- 
rience as  teachers  in  high  schools,  colleges  and 
universities  in  civil  life,  and  by  special  train- 
ing in  arts  and  crafts.  Some  of  them  had 
served  in  civil  life  as  social  welfare  workers. 

The  ward  work  proved  of  the  greatest 
value  in  the  cure  of  patients.  Primarily,  ap- 
plication of  the  work  served  as  a  diversion 
by   arousing   the   interest  of  the  patient  and 


■  T 


A  Veteran  of  Three  Wars 

A  Greek  member  of  Uncle  Sam's  cosmopolitan 

army. 

by  distracting  him  from  a  contemplation  of 
his  disabled  condition,  whether  due  to  sickness 
or  to  injury.  At  the  beginning  the  schedule 
of  ward  work  consisted  of  simple  handcrafts, 
in  the  form  of  knitting,  beadwork,  basketry, 
mat-weaving,  block  stamping,  wood-carving 
and  the  like.  As  the  work  progressed,  it 
.was  found  that  the  interest  of  the  patient 
was  more  readily  aroused  by  work  that  was 
prevocational  or  even  vocational  in  character, 
because  it  prepared  him  for  the  occupation  that 
he  would  follow  after  discharge  from  the 
army  or  for  further  education  and  training 
by  the  Federal  Board  of  Vocational  Educa- 
tion, Consequently  stenography,  typewrit- 
ing, mechanical  drawing,  winding  electrical 
armatures,  academic  and  commercial  study 
and  the  more  purposeful  handcrafts  were  util- 
ized. 

As  rapidly  as  possible  buildings  were  al- 
tered or  new  ones  constructed  for  workshops 
and  schools,  equipment  installed,  books  were 
obtained   through   the  American  Library  As- 


l82 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


A  Doctor  Writing  Letters  for  Wounded  Men 


sociation,  and  the  convalescent  patients  were 
sent  to  the  shops  and  schools  for  the  applica- 
tion of  the  doses  of  work  prescribed  by  the 
ward  surgeons. 

SHOP    WORK 

The  schedule  of  work  in  the  shops  consisted 
of  motor  mechanics,  boot  and  shoe  repairing, 
harness  making,  carpentry,  electrical  installa- 
tion, printing,  mechanical  drafting  and  the 
like.  In  the  gardens,  landscaping  and  truck 
gardening  were  taught ;  on  farms,  ordinary 
farming,  including  stock  breeding,  dairying, 
poultrj'  raising,  hog  raising  and  farm  eco- 
nomics. Greenhouses  were  utilized  at  many 
centers  to  train  men  in  horticulture  and  to 
grow  vegetables.  In  the  schools  academic 
studies  in  common  school  branches  including 
left-hand  writing  were  taught.  Incidentally, 
aliens,  and  especially  the  illiterates,  were  edu- 
cated and  then  naturalized  as  American  citi- 
zens. Commercial  courses  were  given  in  short- 
hand, typewriting,  bookkeeping,  banking,  buy- 
ing and  selling,  and  many  other  branches. 

SPEECH    DEFECTS 

At   the   U.    S.   General    Hospital    No.    ii 
Cape  May,  an  eflBcient  school  for  the  disabled 


soldiers  with  deafness  and  defective  speech 
successfully  taught  lip  reading  and  the  cor- 
rection of  speech  defect.  The  patients  coin- 
cidentally  received  prevocational  or  vocational 
training. 

CARE   OF  THE   BLIND 

At  the  U.  S.  General  Hospital  No.  7,  Ro- 
land Park,  Baltimore,  there  were  estab- 
lished a  school  for  the  blind  or  nearly  blind 
soldiers,  sailors  and  marines.  The  blinded 
soldier  was  taught  how  to  dress,  feed  himself 
and  get  about  as  an  independent  person,  at 
the  same  time  thorough  instruction  was  given 
in  Braille  and  coincident  training  in  occupa- 
tions suitable  for  the  blind.  In  this  connection 
there  were  approximately  one  hundred  totally 
blind,  and  approximately  one  hundred  par- 
tially blind  soldiers,  sailors  and  marines. 

THE  TUBERCULOUS 

The  schedule  of  curative  work  applied  to 
the  disabled  soldier  suffering  with  pulmonary 
tuberculosis  was  modified  to  meet  the  varying 
clinical  conditions  under  constant  watchful 
medical  supervision.  Curative  work  for  the 
tubercular  soldier  has  proved  of  the  greatest 
value  in  the  prevention  of  hospitalization  and 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


183 


ur\.' 


Oi  m  Oirish" 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazme. 


The  Irish  have  fought  in  all  of  Uncle  Sam's  wars. 


for  the  convalescent  in  the  production  of  the 
final  hardening  process  so  valuable  in  the  pre- 
vention of  relapse,  when  the  stage  of  inactiv- 
ity of  the  disease  has  been  secured. 

SPECIAL   CENTERS 

A  few  of  the  general  hospitals  have  been 
designated  as  special  centers  for  the  treatment 
of  the  nerve  injuries,  the  maxillofacial  muti- 
lations, and  of  the  amputation  cases.  At  two 
or  three  centers,  provisional  artificial  limbs 
and  protheses  were  manufactured.  There  the 
men  with  amputations  were  fitted  and  trained 
in  the  use  of  the  artificial  appliances.  In  this 
connection  it  should  be  stated  that  the  Bureau 
of  War  Risk  Insurance  was  responsible  for  fur- 
nishing the  discharged  soldier  with  the  needed 
permanent  artificial  limb. 

COOPERATION 

In  the  application  of  curative  work  in  the 
treatment  of  disabled  soldiers  it  has  been  the 


endeavor  to  secure  cooperation  between  the 
ward  surgeons  and  the  educational  depart- 
ment. It  has  been  recognized  that  the  justifi- 
cation of  the  adoption  of  work  as  a  therapeu- 
tic agent  involves  control  by  the  surgeon  and 
physician ;  that  while  the  educational  officer 
may  evolve  kinds  of  work,  which  to  accom- 
plish the  end  sought  requires  known  muscu- 
lar action,  it  is  the  surgeon  or  physician  who 
must  indicate  the  particular  function  to  be 
restored  and  to  prescribe  the  dose  of  work, 
the  time  it  is  to  be  given  and  the  frequency  of 
its  repetition.  The  same  cooperation  is  neces- 
sary between  the  clinical  staff  and  the  director 
and  his  personnel  in  the  application  of  physio- 
therapy. 

"cheer  up"  propaganda 

For  the  information  of  the  disabled  soldiers 
circulars  and  bulletins  have  been  published  by 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  Army  outlin- 
ing the  program  of  physical  reconstruction  in 
the  military  hospitals.  "Cheer  up"  propa- 
ganda has  been  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  pa- 


1 84 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


tients  and  for  their  benefit,  and,  to  educate 
the  general  public  on  the  need  of  physical  and 
functional  rehabilitation,  the  Surgeon  Gen- 
eral has  published  and  distributed,  with  the  co- 
operation of  the  American  Red  Cross,  a  maga- 
zine, Ccury  On. 

Cooperating  with  the  Federal  Board  for 
Vocational  Education,  the  Surgeon  General 
has  compiled  and  published  courses  of  study 
in  pamphlet  form,  covering  all  phases  of  study 
and  occupations  as  guides  to  teachers  and  pa- 
tients, in  the  application  of  the  curative  work- 
shop schedule  in  the  wards,  shops,  schools, 
gardens  and  fields. 

To  the  date  of  the  signing  of  the  armistice, 
the  educational  activities  applied  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  disabled  soldier  justified  the  vo- 
cational training  of  the  convalescent  soldier 
to  fit  him  for  further  special  military  service. 
Until  that  date  the  general  hospitals  which 
functioned  in  the  physical  reconstruction  of 
disabled  men  returned  many  men  to  general 
or  special  military  service,   and  of  these,  the 


majority  had  been  sent  to  the  hospitals  with 
the  belief  they  could  not  be  made  fit  for 
further  military  duty.  The  application  of 
curative  work,  physiotherapy,  military  drill, 
special  training  and  play  were  the  decisive  fac- 
tors in  securing  such  complete  physical  and 
functional  restoration  that  they  were  able  to 
return   to  military   duty. 

THE  RETURNED  DISABLED  SOLDIER 

Following  the  signing  of  the  armistice  and 
the  cessation  of  hostilities,  it  was  no  longer 
necessary  to  keep  the  disabled  man  in  over- 
seas hospital  until  restored,  because  he  would 
no  longer  be  needed  for  military  service 
unless  he  had  enlisted  prior  to  April  6,  191 7. 
Consequently,  it  became  necessary  to  amplify 
the  centers  in  this  country  for  the  physical 
reconstruction  of  the  large  number  of  disabled 
men  from  overseas  who  returned  to  America 
for  treatment.  To  meet  this  need  facilities 
were  provided  by  the  War  Department,  at  the 


Rr,'   Crrsf  Magazine. 


"Are  We  Downhearted?" 

No!     Yet  they  all  suffered  severely  fighting  in  the  American  Army.     They  are  wounded  Italians. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


185 


request  of  the  Medical  Department,  for  phys- 
ical reconstruction  of  disabled  soldiers  in  de- 
partmental base  hospitals  and  in  base  hospi- 
tals of  the  National  Army  cantonments.  Ad- 
ditional general  hospitals  were  also  equipped 
for  the  work  until  a  total  of  forty-nine  hospi- 
tals were  designated  to  function  in  the  physical 
reconstruction  of  disabled  men.  In  addition 
to  the  hospitals,  nineteen  convalescent  centers 
were  established  in  the  training  camps  of  the 
country  to  which  convalescent  detachments 
from  overseas  and  convalescent  patients  from 
the  hospitals  of  this  country  were  distributed, 
each  one  sent  to  the  center  nearest  his  home, 
for  a  final  process  of  hardening  by  the  applica- 
tion of  curative  work  both  manual  and  men- 
tal, by  general  and  special  physical  training 
through  military  drill  and  calisthenics,  and 
by  exercise  at  play  in  gymnasia  and  out  of 
doors. 

After  the  armistice  was  signed  the  policy  of 
the  Medical  Department  of  the  Army  was 
to  discharge  the  disabled  man  as  soon  as  he 
had  reached  the  maximum  physical  and  func- 


tional restoration,  consistent  with  the  nature 
of  the  disability.  This  left  to  the  Federal 
Board  for  Vocational  Education  the  responsi- 
bility for  the  occupational  training  and  educa- 
tion which  was  the  privilege  of  the  compens- 
able disabled  soldier  if  he  decided  to  take  it. 
The  application  of  physical  reconstruction  or, 
a  better  term,  physical  and  mental  rehabilita- 
tion of  disabled  soldiers,  has  been  justified  by 
the  result  in  the  military  hospitals  of  this 
country.  From  a  small  beginning  it  grew 
within  a  year  of  practical  application  to  a 
large  establishment. 

PERSONNEL 

The  personnel  of  educational  officers  and 
their  subordinates,  noncommissioned  officers 
and  enlisted  men,  as  qualified  administrators 
and  instructors,  were  as  fine  a  body  of  men  as 
one  will  find  anywhere.  They  have  given  pa- 
triotic and  efficient  service  to  the  countr\'  and 
have  been  and  are  recognized  factors  in  the 
more  complete  physical  and  functional  restora- 


Hebrews  All 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magasine. 


Other  wounded  members  of  Uncle  Sam's  cosmopolitan  army. 


1 86 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


tion   of   disabled    men,    who   have   thus    been      electrotherapy,    massage    and    passive   exercise 
made  fit  to  return  to  their  old  or  a  new  oc-      to  disabled  men  at  home  and  overseas, 
cupation  or  have  been  physically  and  mentally  Approximately     fourteen     hundred     recon- 

prepared  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity      struction    aides    in   occupational   therapy   have 

rendered  service  of  the  highest  efficiency  in 
the  application  of  mental  and  manual  work 
for  the  patients  in  wards  in  overseas  and  in 
domestic  hospitals.  These  women  who  have 
served  the  government  as  reconstruction  aides 
in  physiotherapy  and  in  occupational  therapy 
are  deserving  of  the  highest  praise  for  the 
work  they  have  done  for  the  disabled  men. 

It  is  the  common  expression  of  all  officers 
who  have  come  in  contact  with  the  disabled 
sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  that  the  application 
of  curative  work  and  physiotherapy  has  done 
much  to  improve  the  morale,  maintain  dis- 
cipline, prevent  hospitalization  and  to  hasten 
and  make  more  certain  the  cure  of  patients. 

PERMANENT   POLICY 

It  is  believed  that  the  experience  and  appli- 
cation of  curative  work  and  standardized 
physiotherapy  in  the  military  hospitals  dur- 
ing the  emergency  created  by  the  war,  will 
become  a  permanent  policy  of  the  military  es- 
tablishment of  the  United  States.  This  pol- 
icy will  necessitate  the  designation  of  certain 
general  and  military  post  hospitals  to  function 
in  the  physical  reconstruction  of  the  sick,  in- 
jured and  disabled  men.  Facilities  for  this 
work  in  military  hospitals  will  include  the  ap- 
plication of  curative  w'ork  that  is  vocational 
in  character.  Vocational  training  in  the  mili- 
tary hospital  is  justified  by  law  and  by  the 
fact  that  the  disabled  soldier  may  continue  in 
military  service  provided  the  nature  of  the 
disability  permits  restoration  consistent  with 
further  service.  The  vocational  training  and 
education  received  while  a  patient  will  make 
him  of  greater  value  as  a  soldier  and  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment,  should 
he  decide  to  return  to  civil  life,  he  will  serve 
with  greater  efficiency  in  the  industrial  army. 


©     Underzvood  and   Underwood. 

British    Soldiers    Giving    German    Wounded 
a  Light 

One  of   the   many  humane   incidents  that   oc- 
curred   at    an    advanced    British    Field   Dressing 
Station    during    the    Somme    Offensive. 

for  vocational   training  and  education   under 
the  authority  of  the  Federal  Board. 

Approximately  eight  hundred  reconstruc- 
tion aides  in  physiotherapy  have  given  effi- 
cient service  in  the  application  of  local  baths, 


HUMOR  EVEN  IN  CONQUERED  BELGIUM 

In  the  outskirts  of  Bruges  the  Germans  had  put  up  signs  at  all  the  grade  crossings  with 
this  Flemish  inscription:  "Verboden  over  den  ijzeren  weg  te  gaan";  which  means:  "It 
is  forbidden  to  cross  the  railway."  Some  mischievous  boys  rubbed  out  the  letters  "en" 
at  the  end  of  "ijzeren"  (iron),  making  the  sign  read:  "It  is  forbidden  to  cross  the  Yser," 
a  statement  painfully  true  for  the  German  army  at  that  point.  Lucky  for  the  culprits 
they  were  never  found. — From  Anecdotes  Pathetiques  et  Plaisantcs,  by  Gabiiel  Langlois. 


THE  GENERAL  MEDICAL  BOARD  OF  THE  COUNCIL 

OF  NATIONAL  DEFENSE 


HOW     AMERICAN      DOCTORS     ANSWERED     THE 

CALL 

THE  American  soldier  and  sailor  were, 
to  begin  with,  probably  finer  types  of 
men  than  those  of  any  of  the  other  coun- 
tries. To  this  is  primarily  due  their  splen- 
did courage,  their  spirit  in  attack  and  their 
resourcefulness  against  a  determined  en- 
emy. Our  men  were,  moreover,  better  cared 
for  in  every  material  way.  They  were  bet- 
ter fed,  better  paid,  and  better  equipped  than 
any  others. 

Last  and  most  important,  they  received  a 
medical  care  unequaled,  not  only  in  any  wars 
of  the  past,  but  in  this  greatest  of  all  wars. 

The  medical  and  surgical  genius  of  Amer- 
ica gave  itself  to  the  wartime  needs  of  our 
armies  in  medicine,  in  hygiene  and  in  opera- 
tive practice,  with  a  success  that  placed  that 
branch  of  the  service  head  and  shoulders 
above  all  others.  In  this  development  and 
accomplishment,  the  General  Medical  Board 
of  the  Council  of  National  Defense  played  a 
vital  part  in  bringing  the  best  medical  and 
surgical  ability  to  bear  upon  the  problems 
of  the  Army  and  Navy. 

The  Council  of  National  Defense  was 
composed  of  six  Cabinet  members,  the  Sec- 
retaries of  War,  Navy,  Interior,  Agriculture, 
Commerce  and  Labor,  The  Council  and  the 
President  acting  together  appointed  sub-com- 
missions to  deal  with  seven  great  branches  of 
our  war  efifort,  and  the  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Medicine  and  Sanitation  was  au- 
thorized to  organize  the  General  Medical 
Board,  to  bring  to  the  service  of  the  nation 
the  experience  and  ability  of  the  civilian  med- 
ical profession.  The  formation  of  this  board 
was  the  beginning  of  the  close  cooperation 
between  the  doctors  and  surgeons  of  the 
United  States  and  the  Surgeon  General  of 
the  Army,  Navy,  the  Public  Health  Ser\'ice 
and  the  Red  Cross. 


AMERICAN    MEDICAL    MEN    PROVE    THEIR 
PATRIOTISM 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  there  were 
in  the  Medical  Reserve  Corps  less  than  two 
thousand  enrollments.  At  the  signing  of  the 
armistice,  there  were  more  than  21,000,  and 
of  these,   some    18,228   were   on  active  duty. 

Another  result  of  the  activities  of  the  Gen- 
eral Medical  Board  was  the  creation  of  the 
Volunteer  Medical  Service  Corps  of  the 
United  States.  There  were  many  doctors  and 
surgeons  who,  by  reason  of  physical  disability, 
were  unfit  for  overseas  duty  with  the  Med- 
ical Reserve  Corps,  but  who  were,  on  the 
other  hand,  capable  of  very  valuable  service 
at  home.  These  were  the  men  enrolled  in  the 
Volunteer  Medical  Reserve  Corps  to  form 
an  organization  for  the  emergency  needs  of 
the  military  and  civilians.  A  Central  Gov- 
erning Board,  composed  of  the  Surgeon  Gen- 
eral of  the  Army,  the  Surgeon  General  of  the 
Navy,  the  Surgeon  General  of  the  Public 
Health  Service,  or  the  General  Medical 
Board  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense, 
controlled  the  services  of  the  Volunteer  Med- 
ical Service  Corps. 

Physicians  and  surgeons  eligible  to  the 
Medical  Reserve  Corps  by  reason  of  their 
experience  and  ability,  but  ineligible  because 
of  physical  disability  or  age  (more  than  fifty- 
five  years),  or  for  other  reasons  that  would 
debar  them  from  the  Corps,  made  up  the 
V.  M.  S.  C,  and  when  the  war  ended  in 
November,  19 18,  there  were  more  than  eight 
thousand  enrollments.  Thus  was  formed  by 
the  General  Medical  Board  an  invaluable 
body  of  men.  Not  only  did  every  member 
mean  that  a  man  qualified  for  overseas  duty 
could  be  released  for  that  duty,  but  there 
was  made  available  to  the  government  a  large 
group  of  capable  practitioners,  insuring  med- 
ical attention  to  the  army  at  home  as  well  as 
abroad. 


A  British  Pilot  Dropping  a  Wreath  Upon  a  Comrade's  Grave  in  the  Ger- 
man Lines 

It   is   gratifying  to   note   that   some   of   the   decencies   of  combat   were   preserved   b}'  the   aerial 
arm  in  the  great  war.     If,  for  instance,  a  machine  was   brought  down  within   either  of  the   op- 
posing lines  it  was  customary  for  the  captors  to  drop  a  weighted  letter  over  the  enemy  positions 
giving  information  as  to  the  fate  of  the  pilot  and  observer. 


^ 


THE  ARMIES  OF  IVIERCY 


189 


WOMEN    PHYSICIANS     SPLENDID    RECORD 

For  the  first  time  in  history,  the  women 
physicians  of  a  country  were  completely  mobil- 
ized, this  again  as  a  result  of  the  efforts  of 
the  General  Medical  Board.  The  Com- 
mittee of  Women  Physicians  made  a  careful 
survey  of  the  six  thousand  women  doctors 
of  the  United  States,  of  whom  practically  one- 
third  offered  their  services  to  the  govern- 
ment, whereas  every  one  of  the  others  offered 
her  services  for  part  time.  This  magnificent 
record  is  both  a  tribute  to  the  patriotism  of 
American  womanhood  and  to  the  ability  of 
the  General  Medical  Board. 

It  would  be  impossible  in  a  limited  space 
to  describe  the  work  of  the  many  committees 
of  the  General  Medical  Board  that  dealt  with 
the  hundred  and  one  needs  of  the  American 
people.  The  following  are  some  of  the  more 
important:  child  welfare,  dentistry,  civilian 
cooperation  in  combating  venereal  diseases, 
hygiene  and  sanitation,  industrial  medicine 
and  surgery,  medical  schools,  nursing,  re- 
search, hospitals,  legislation,  and  many  others. 

The  ramifications  produced  in  the  fields  of 
medicine  by  the  sudden  crisis  of  war  cover 
practically  a  country's  entire  activity.  First 
of  all,  there  is  the  care  and  nursmg  of  the 
wounded  fighters.  Only  less  important  are 
some  of  the  problems  created  by  the  war  at 
home.  For  instance,  the  abnormal  pressure 
in  factories  and  mills  and  workshops  to  send 
supplies  to  the  fighting  line  produces  an  entire 
new  series  of  industrial  medical  problems  that 
must  be  solved.  Unnecessary  human  waste 
must  be  avoided  with  as  much  care  in  the 
industrial  army  as  in  the  armies  at  the  front. 
Accidents     and     disease     must     be     guarded 


against,  and  the  sick  and  injured  must  be 
returned  to  their  tasks  in  the  shortest  possible 
time. 

A  pretty  girl  in  a  pretty  uniform  is  not, 
ipso  facto,  a  nurse.  To  be  of  value  in  the 
care  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldier,  she 
must  be  a  highly  trained  and  educated  woman. 
The  Committee  on  Nursing,  again  under  the 
General  Medical  Board,  coordinated  the  re- 
s(;urces  of  the  United  States  to  provide  for 
our  fighting  men.  To  begin  with,  a  cam- 
paign was  made  to  interest  young  women  in 
taking  the  necessary  training,  so  that  upon 
their  release  from  school  they  might  fill  posi- 
tions in  hospitals  and  institutions  and  so  make 
it  possible  for  fully  trained  nurses  to  join  the 
Army,  Navy  and  Red  Cross  services.  As 
a  result  of  the  activities  of  this  Committee, 
there  were  available  when  the  w-ar  ended, 
nearly  one  hundred  thousand  graduate  nurses, 
and  fifty  thousand  young  women  were  in 
training  for  this  noble  work. 

The  General  Medical  Board  made  elab- 
orate studies  of  the  ever  present  and  un- 
popular "cootie,"  of  shell-shock,  and  of  every 
possible  need  brought  forward  by  our  entry 
into  the  struggle  of  Right  against  Might. 
It  made  available  to  a  country  largely  un- 
prepared the  services  of  doctors,  surgeons, 
nurses,  laboratory  experts  and  medical  man- 
ufacturers in  a  shorter  time  than  would  have 
been  possible  by  any  other  means.  Not  only 
the  Army,  the  Navy,  the  Marine  Corps  and 
the  Red  Cross  were  directly  benefited  by  the 
activities  of  the  General  Medical  Board,  but 
its  surveillance  over  the  entire  industrial  ques- 
tion, as  related  to  America's  effort,  played  an 
all-important  part  in  the  final  outcome  of  the 
war. 


THE  CASUALTY  CLEARING  STATION 
By  Gilbert  Waterhouse. 


A  bowl  of  daffodils. 

A  crimson  quilted  bed. 

Sheets  and  pillows  white  as  snow — 

White   and  gold   and   red — 

And  sister  moving  to  and  fro 

With  soft  and  silent  tread. 

So  all  my  spirit  fills 

With    pleasure    infinite, 

And  all  the  feathered  wings  of  rest 


Seem  flocking  from  the  radiant  West 
To  bear   me   thro'  the   night. 

See  how  they  close  me  in. 
They,  and  the  sister's  arms. 
One  eye  is  closed,  the  other  lid 
Is  watching  how  my  spirit  slid 
Toward   some    red-roofed    farms, 
And  having  crept  beneath   them  slept 
Secure  from  war's  alarms. 


From  Soldier  Poets,   published   by    Erskine   Macdonald. 


Honored  By  France 

Miss  Grace  Gasette,  of  Chicago,  who  was  decorated  by  Marshal  Joffre  with  the  Cross  of  the 
Legion    of    Honor   for   her   service    at   the    front.      She   was   also   an    honorary   corporal   stretcher 
bearer  of  the  109th  Regiment  of  France.     Miss  Gasette  was  head  of  the  Franco-American  Surgi- 
cal Appliance   Committee. 


THE   UNITED   STATES   MEDICAL  CORPS  AND   ITS 

WAR  WORK 

How  Uncle  Sam  Cared  for  His  Fighters — A  Complex  Administrative  Prob- 
lem and  How  It  Was  Solved 


THE  Medical  Corps  of  the  Regular  Army 
was  entirely  inadequate  to  care  for  the 
vast  new  armies,  but  was  peculiarly  fitted,  by 
reason  of  its  experience  and  training,  to  han- 
dle the  medico-military  administrative  prob- 
lems and  to  train  the  new  medical  officers, 
fresh  from  civil  life,  in  their  duties  as  offi- 
cers, sanitarians  and  administrators.  Conse- 
quently, nearly  every  regular  officer  was 
placed  in  an  administrative  position.  Those 
regular  officers  particularly  qualified  were  as- 
sembled in  the  office  of  the  Surgeon  General, 
and  with  them  were  associated  the  best  civilian 
talent  of  the  country — not  only  surgeons  and 
internists,  but  also  renowned  specialists  in  the 
eye,  ear,  nose,  throat,  in  dentistry,  in  oral- 
plastic  surgery,  in  roentgenology,  in  sanitary 
engineering,  in  psychology,  in  epidemiology, 
in  food  and  nutrition,  in  veterinary  medicine, 
etc. 

Most  of  the  divisions  were  divided  into  nu- 
merous sections.  Of  the  divisions  listed  below 
several  were  discontinued  and  their  activities 
embodied  in  other  divisions  as  sections  thereof. 
Below  is  a  brief  description  of  the  work  ac- 
complished by  these  divisions. 

The  largest  division,  and  that  primarily 
concerned  in  the  sanitation  of  camps  and  the 
prevention  of  disease,  from  an  administrative 
point  of  view,  is  the  Division  of  Sanitation. 


Note — At  the  height  of  its  activity  during  the  war  the 
Office  of  the  Surgeon  General  was  organized  in  the 
following    Divisions: 


Division  of  Sanitation 

Hospital    Division 

Personnel    Division 

Laboratory  Division 

Division  of  Physical  Recon- 
struction 

Division  of  Medicine 

Division  of  Surgery 

Finance  end  Supply  Divi- 
sion 


Library  Division 
Air  Service   Division 
Gas  Defense  Service 
Food  Division 
Overseas  Division 
Division  of  Head  Surgery 
Medical   Officers'   Training 

Camp  Division 
Veterinary  Division 


The  Division  of  Sanitation,  which  has  for 
many  years  been  one  of  the  three  permanent 
divisions  of  the  Surgeon  General's  Office,  un- 
derwent great  expansion  during  the  war,  and 
its  duties  rapidly  extended  to  the  handling 
of  all  questions  relating  to  the  health  and 
well-being  of  troops  and  the  sanitation  of 
camps,  cantonments,  permanent  posts,  hospi- 
tals, ports  of  embarkation,  transports,  mili- 
tary trains  and  other  military  stations.  Its 
function  included  the  physical  examination 
and  selection  of  recruits  and  registrants;  the 
physical  examination  of  soldiers  prior  to  de- 
mobilization ;  the  selection  of  camp  and  divi- 
sion surgeons,  camp  and  division  sanitary  in- 
spectors, epidemiologists,  sanitary  engineers 
and  surgeons  for  recruit  depots;  the  direction 
of  medico-military  activities  in  camps,  canton- 
ments and  other  stations  in  so  far  as  they 
related  to  the  Surgeon  General's  Office;  super- 
vision of  the  hygiene  and  sanitation  of  camps; 
advising  the  War  Department  with  reference 
to  camp  sites,  housing,  air  space,  clothing, 
food,  water  supplies,  sewage  systems  and 
garbage  disposal ;  the  control  of  fly  and  mos- 
quito breeding  and  the  elimination  of  these 
pests;  the  destruction  of  lice  and  other  dis- 
ease-bearing insects;  the  search  for  and  quar- 
antine of  "carriers"  of  disease  and  "contacts" 
with  disease;  the  design  and  construction  of 
quarantine  and  detention  camps;  the  adminis- 
tration of  quarantine,  and  other  measures 
necessary  to  prevent  the  spread  of  communi- 
cable diseases,  and  the  inspection  of  camp, 
post,  base  and  general  hospitals.  In  sum,  the 
activities  of  the  Division  of  Sanitation  included 
all  the  functions  of  a  health  department  in  a 
civil  community  and  many  other  duties  in 
addition. 


©     Underzvood  and  Underwood. 

Surgeon  General  William  C.  Gorgas 

Head  of  the    medical-military   administrative  forces  which   did  such   effective   work   in   camp  and 

trench  in  cutting  down  the  war  mortality. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


193 


ORGANIZED    SANITATION 

To  accomplish  the  work  above  indicated 
the  Division  of  Sanitation  maintained  the  fol- 
lowing sections: 

Sanitary  Inspections:  Made  routine  sani- 
tary inspections  of  camps,  cantonments,  posts, 
hospitals  and  student  army  training  corps 
units;  made  technical  inspections  as  to  food, 
diets,  food  conservation,  vermin  control,  sani- 
tary engineering,  mosquito  control,  etc.  Also 
made  special  inspections  in  case  of  specific 
complaints.  More  than  700  separate  inspec- 
tions have  been  made. 

Medical  Records:  Received,  recorded  and 
filed  reports  of  sick  and  wounded ;  coded  the 
cards  and  prepared  permanent  statistical 
tables  of  sickness  and  injury;  collected  and 
tabulated  data  regarding  physical  examination 
and  discharge  for  disability. 

Current  Statistics:  Received  and  consoli- 
dated daily  and  weekly  telegrams  and  cable- 
grams regarding  sickness  and  injury;  prepared 
weekly  and  special  health  reports  regarding 
troops  at  home  and  abroad. 

Communicable  Disease:  Prepared  graphic 
charts  of,  disease,  analyzed  current  statistics, 
prepared  reports  on  same  and  investigated 
and  advised  regarding  disease  prevention.  On 
November  i,  191 8,  this  section  w^as  trans- 
ferred to  the  Division  of  Infectious  Diseases 
and  Laboratories. 

Sanitary  Engineering:  Investigated  and 
recommended  regarding  sanitary  engineering 
problems  such  as  water  supply,  sewage  treat- 
ment and  disposal,  garbage  collection  and 
disposal,  mosquito  and  fly  control,  and  mis- 
cellaneous problems. 

Food  and  Nutrition :  Gave  technical  advice 
on  food  products,  rations,  diets  and  food  con- 
servation ;  made  food  surveys  and  compiled 
statistical  reports;  directed  special  laboratory 
investigations  into  matters  relating  to  food 
preservation,  food  conservation  and  food 
values.  Until  December  i,  igi8,  tliis  sec- 
tion was  a  separate  division  of  the  Surgeon 
General's  Office. 

Student  Army  Training  Corps:  Through 
liaison  with  the  various  divisions  of  the  Sur- 
geon General's  Office  it  handled  assignments 
of  officers,  nurses  and  enlisted  men  to  the  Stu- 
dent Army  Training  Corps  units  and  supplied 
them    with    equipment    and    hospitalization. 


This  section  was  abolished  after  the  final  de- 
mobilization of  the  Student  Army  Training 
Corps. 

Miscellaneous:  Handled  a  variety  of  prob- 
lems, including  administrative,  sanitary  per- 
sonnel for  camps,  cantonments  and  recruit  de- 
pots, physical  standards  and  examinations,  in- 
vestigation of  vermin  problems,  supervision, 
of  development  battalions,  etc. 

KEEPING   TABS    ON    DEATH 

At  each  camp  or  cantonment  there  was  a 
sanitary  organization  which,  in  general  func- 
tion, corresponded  to  the  organization  in  thif, 
office.  The  Division  of  Sanitation  was  kept 
informed  as  to  every  detail  in  sanitation  and 
disease  prevention  in  camps  and  cantonments 
in  the  United  States,  through  experienced 
and  specially  qualified  medical  officers  of  the 
Regular  Army,  acting  as  sanitary  inspectors, 
who  visited  the  camps  and  reported  directly 
to  the  Surgeon  General  regarding  matters  in- 
vestigated by  them.  Weekly  telegraphic  re- 
ports were  received  in  the  Division  of  Sanita- 
tion from  all  camps  and  stations  in  the  United 
States,  and  also  cablegrams  from  the  Ameri- 
can Expeditionary  Forces,  which  gave  current 
information  as  to  the  number  of  deaths  during 
the  week,  with  causes  thereof,  together  with 
the  strength  of  the  command  for  the  same 
period.  From  this  data  it  was  possible  to 
compute  the  rate  per  1,000  of  sickness  and 
deaths,  and  compare  one  station  with  another 
and  one  week  with  another.  Since  September 
I,  1917,  there  has  been  published  regularly 
a  weekly  bulletin  of  health  conditions  which 
was  given  to  the  press  for  publication.  Daily 
telegraphic  reports  were  received  regarding 
the  occurrence  of  a  few  of  the  more  danger- 
ous infectious  diseases.  Furthermore,  the 
monthly  sanitary  reports  from  all  military  sta- 
tions, as  well  as  any  special  sanitary  reports, 
passed  through  and  were  acted  upon  in  the 
Division  of  Sanitation. 

When  sanitary  defects  or  deficiencies 
were  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Surgeon 
General's  Office  immediate  steps  were  taken 
to  correct  them,  either  by  instructions  sent  to 
the  Camp  Surgeon,  if  the  correction  lay 
within  his  power,  or  by  correspondence  with 
the  higher  authorities  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment, if  this  action  was  necessary.     Ultimate 


194 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     Undenvood  and  Underwood. 


Major  General  Merritt  A.  Ireland, 

Chief   Surgeon    General   of   the   Expeditionary    Forces. 


reports  as  to  action  taken  and  results  obtained 
were  received  in  this  division  and  filed  as  a 
future  record. 

At  the  outset  of  the  war,  on  recommenda- 
tion of  the  Division  of  Sanitation,  the  War 
Department  issued  Special  Regulations  28,  a 
compilation  of  sanitary  instructions  for  the 
guidance  of  medical  officers  and  line  officers. 
Supplements  to  Special  Regulations  28  have 
been  issued  from  time  to  time,  and  in  addi- 
tion numerous  memoranda  and  circulars  from 
the   division   have  been   promulgated   for   the 


current  guidance  of  all  concerned  in  sanitary 
methods. 


CLIPPING  THE  WINGS  OF  DEATH 

The  following  figures  indicate  the  enor- 
mous reduction  in  deaths  which  has  resulted 
from  the  sanitary  measures  enforced  during 
the  World  War  as  compared  with  the  prac- 
tice in  vogue  in  the  Civil  War,  the  Franco- 
Prussian  War,  the  Spanish  War  and  the  Boer 

War.     The  figures  indicate  the  actual  deaths 

VII— 13 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY  I95 

which  occurred  during  the  period  of  Septem-  War.     The  figures  for  the  World  War  are 

ber  I,  191 7,  and  May  2,  1919,  in  our  army,  based    upon   current   telegraphic    reports   and 

both    in    the    United    States    and    in    France,  while  approximately  accurate  may  be  subject 

which  had  an  average  strength  of  2,121,396,  to  slight  revision  on  completion  of  final  sta- 

and  the  number  of  deaths  which  would  have  tistics. 

occurred  in  an  army  of  the  same  size  for  the  In  the  Franco-Prussian  War  the  Germans 

same  period  if  the  mean  annual  death   rates  lost   9,000   men   from  typhoid   fever.      With 

for  the  Civil  War  and  for  the  Spanish  War  reference   to   the   typhoid   in   the  Boer  War, 

respectively  had  prevailed  during  the  World  Colonel  F.  F.  Russell  quotes  from  Leishman, 

Number  of  deaths  that  Number  of  deaths  that  Number  of  deaths  that 

occurred    in    World  would  have  occurred  would  have  occurred 

War,  Sept.  I,  1917  to  if    the    Civil    War  if  the  Spanish-Amer- 

May  2,  1919.    Aver-  death   rate  had  ob-  ican  War  death  rate 

age  strength  approx-  tained.  had  obtained, 
imately  2,121,396. 

Typhoid  fever 213  51,133  68,164 

Malaria 13  13,951  (c)  11,317 

Dysentery 42  63,898  (b)  6,382  (b) 

Smallpox 5  9,536  37 

Pneumonia 41,747  (a)  38,962  (a)  6,086  (a) 

Scarlet  fever 167                                      112  222 

Diphtheria 100  I,l88  149 

Tuberculosis 1,220  9,574  631 

Meningitis 2,137  3,859  4,081 

Other  diseases 3,768  34,881  15,587 

Total  for  diseases 49,412  227,094  112,656 

(a)  Includes  deaths  listed  from  measles,  influenza,   empyema,  inflammation  of  the  lungs  and  pleurisy,  as  well  as 
pneumonia. 

(b)  Includes  dysentery    and     diarrhea. 

(c)  Includes  malaria    and    remittent    and    congestive  fevers. 


In  Line  for  Inoculation  at  a  U.  S.  Army  Camp 


196 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


U ndcrwood  and   Underwood. 


British  Wounded  Awaiting  First  Aid 


These  'Tommies"    managed    to    creep    into    dugouts    in    the    "jumping-off   trench"    while    the    at- 
tack was  still  at  its  height,  and  there  awaited  aid    from   the    advanced   dressing   station. 


"Antityphoid  Vaccination,"  Glasgow  Med. 
Jour.,  1912,  LXXVII,  408: 

"We  know  in  general  that  there  were  57,- 
684  cases  of  typhoid  and  8,022  deaths  among 
380,605  men." 

The  low  death  rate  from  tuberculosis  in 
the  Spanish  War  was  due  to  three  causes: 
First,  that  the  war  w^as  of  short  duration; 
second,  that  the  w'ar  period  was  in  the  sum- 
mer; thirdly,  and  most  important,  that  all 
cases  of  tuberculosis  were  discharged  from  the 
service  almost  as  soon  as  diagnosed  and  so  the 
deaths  when  they  occurred  were  credited  not 
to  the  army  but  to  the  civil  community.  In 
the  World  War  nearly  all  tuberculosis  soldiers 
were  held  in  the  army  for  indefinite  sani- 
tarium treatment. 

The  number  of  deaths  from  pneumonia  was 
slightly  greater  than  for  the  Civil  War  com- 
parison and  much  greater  than  for  the  Span- 
ish War  comparison.  The  Spanish  War  rates 
were  low  because  the  war  period  was  entirely 
in  warm  weather  when  pneumonia  is  infre- 


quent. The  greatest  cause  of  the  high  pneu- 
monia rate  for  the  World  War  was  the  epi- 
demic of  influenza,  a  factor  which  occurs  only 
about  once  in  thirty  years.  Had  this  epidemic 
not  occurred,  the  rate  would  have  been  much 
lower  than  for  the  Civil  War  and  probably 
lower  than  for  the  Spanish  War.  Taken  all 
in  all,  however,  it  must  be  confessed  that  the 
secret  of  the  control  of  respiratory  diseases, 
particularly  pneumonia,  still  remains  undis- 
covered. 

HOSPITAL    DIVISION 
TREMENDOUS    GROWTH    OF    FACILITIES 

The  duty  of  the  Hospital  Division  was 
to  provide  and  operate  all  military  hospitals 
in  the  United  States — that  is  to  say,  to  care 
for  all  sick  and  injured  of  the  armies  in  train- 
ing in  the  United  States  and  also  for  the  cases 
returned  from  overseas.  This  plan  compre- 
hended some  600  separate  locations  of  military 
medical  activity.  Some  of  these  places  had 
been  in  existence  prior  to  the  war,  but  the 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


197 


great  majority  were  new,  and  all  those  that 
were  not  new  carried  increased  military  ac- 
tivity, or  were  secured  by  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment from  other  branches  of  the  service  and 
converted  into  hospitals.  To  do  this  work 
it  was  necessary  to  inaugurate  an  elastic  sys- 
tem of  expansion,  both  in  the  Surgeon  Gen- 
eral's Office  and  at  each  large  hospital,  and 
this  system  had  to  keep  constantly  in  as  close 
touch  as  possible  with  the  changing  policy 
of  the  War  Department  as  regards  concen- 
tration of  troops  and  enlargement  of  camps 
and  ports,  and  also  with  the  varying  demands 
from  the  American  Expeditionary  Force. 

Some  of  our  hospitals  were  increased  four 
or  five  times  and  some  grew  in  a  year  from 
nothing  to  a  normal  capacity  of  3,000  and 
4,000  beds.  Some  during  epidemics  housed 
and  cared  for  over  6,000  sick  at  one  time. 

These  hospitals  were  designed,  built,  main- 
tained and  administered  in  very  much  the 
same  way.  The  construction  of  new  hospi- 
tals especially  was  standardized  as  much  as 
possible,  since  it  was  realized  that  this  would 
aid  greatly  in  their  operation  and  future  alter- 
ation. It  was  fortunate  that  this  was  done, 
as  it  made  it  possible  to  compare  results  under 
operation  and  apply  the  remedy  where  needed. 

Camp  and  base  hospitals  were  constructed 
in  each  camp  to  care  for  the  sick  of  that  camp. 
General  hospitals,  so  called,  were  constructed 
to  care  for  overseas  cases  and  the  most  severe 
domestic  cases.  It  was  believed  unwise  to  mix 
the  maimed  soldiers  from  the  American  Expe- 
ditionary Force  with  the  raw  recruits  prepar- 
ing to  embark  overseas.  The  general  hospitals 
were  distributed  throughout  the  United  States 
so  as  to  allow  the  sick  to  be  sent  as  near  to 
their  homes  as  possible,  and  were  located  with 
reference  to  density  of  population,  railroad 
facilities  and  available  convertible  buildings. 
One  other  main  group  of  hospitals  was  the 
port  group,  as  it  was  necessary  to  provide 
amply  at  the  ports  (New  York  and  Newport 
News)  for  the  quick  reception  on  short  no- 
tice of  large  numbers  of  sick  from  France. 
Here  suitably  located  buildings  were  so  al- 
tered as  to  be  as  near  like  machines  as  hospi- 
tals could  be  made,  for  it  was  necessary  to  get 
machine-like  movement  of  sick  through  these 
hospitals  in  order  to  allow  quick  return  of 
ships  and  rapid  movement  of  sick  from  the 
ports    to    general    hospitals    in    the    interior. 


Here  the  ship-tired  wounded  were  received 
into  the  debarkation  hospitals,  given  every- 
thing that  a  sick  man  required,  and  then  put 
on  comfortable  hospital  trains  bound  for  the 
general  hospital  nearest  the  home  of  the  sol- 
dier. If  the  soldier's  condition  or  disease 
were  such  as  to  require  a  special  surgeon,  a 
special  climate  or  a  special  building,  he  got 
it,  but  in  such  cases  the  distribution  could  not 
always  place  him  very  near  his  home. 

Such  in  a  general  way  was  the  activity  of 
the  Hospital  Division,  which  was  divided  into 
four  sections,  which  covered  the  broad  field  of 
hospitalization  and  whose  activities  will  now 
be  taken   up   specificall3\ 

SETTING    UP    HOSPITALS 

When  war  was  declared  the  army  possessed 
in  the  United  States  four  general  hospitals 
and  113  post  hospitals,  with  a  total  bed  ca- 
pacity in  all  of  6,665  beds. 

The  procurement  of  additional  hospital 
facilities  for  the  greatly  increased  army  in 
the  United  States  was  accomplished  in  two 
ways:  first,  by  constructing  new  hospitals  with 
a  total  of  88,460  beds;  second,  by  converting 
some  army  posts  into  hospitals,  and  by  en- 
larging some  post  hospitals,  together  giving  a 
total  capacity  of  35,439  beds.  The  army  hos- 
pital capacity  was  increased  1,850  per  cent, 
within  a  period  of  twenty  months.  The  first 
hospital  construction  started  in  August,  191 7, 
and  the  construction  and  alteration  program 
(in  curtailed  form,  due  to  the  cessation  of 
fighting)  was  completed  in  March,  19 19. 
The  total  number  of  beds  provided  was  130,- 
564,  as  the  normal  capacity  without  crowding. 

New  construction,  as  distinguished  from 
alteration,  was  of  the  pavilion  t^pe,  one  and 
two  stories  in  height,  with  the  buildings  con- 
nected by  inclosed  corridors  in  the  northern 
climate  and  covered  walks  in  the  southern 
climate.  Wood  frame  construction,  with  ex- 
terior clapboard  and  interior  plaster  board 
finish,  was  used  for  one-story  buildings,  and 
either  frame  with  stucco  on  the  exterior  and 
plaster  board  on  the  interior,  or  tile  walls, 
with  frame  interior,  was  used  for  the  two- 
story  bin'ldings. 

Elaborate  means  for  fire  protection  were 
provided  throughout,  consisting  of  ample  ex- 
its,  fire  walls,   draft  stops  and  wide  spacing 


198 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     Under-d-ocd  and  Underwood. 

British  University  Building  in  War  Times 

University    College,    Oxford,    was    turned    into    a    Hospital    for   wounded    soldiers,    after   Eng- 
land   joined    the    war.     This    photo    shows    a    few  of  the  walking  cases  with  their  nurses  in  the 

entrance   of    the    building. 


of  buildings.  Fire-fighting  equipment  con- 
sisted of  water  systems  with  hydrants,  motor- 
driven  fire  engines  and  wheeled  and  hand 
chemical  extinguishers;  also  automatic  fire 
alarm  systems  were  installed  in  each  of  the 
buildings. 

A  single  base  hospital,  with  a  capacity  of 
2,000  beds,  included  more  than  ninety  sepa- 
rate buildings  and  about  two  miles  of  covered 
corridor. 

ADMINISTRATION 

This  section  was  conducted  for  the  pur- 
pose  of    maintaining   satisfactor\-    administra- 


tive staffs,  for  coordinating  the  work  in  all 
of  the  hospitals,  and  for  conducting  the  ne- 
cessary correspondence. 

Many  administrative  problems  were  con- 
stantly arising  at  the  hospitals.  In  the  inter- 
ests of  harmony  and  uniformity  it  was  ad- 
visable to  inaugurate  the  use  of  circular  let- 
ters embodying  information  and  instruction, 
supplementing  existing  manuals,  regulations, 
orders  and  customs  of  the  service.  In  this 
section  routine  reports  were  received  and 
checked.  The  assignment  of  the  professional 
personnel  of  the  hospitals,  which  was  made 
by   the  professional   divisions  of  the   Surgeon 


► 


/ 


Am.^ 


\-^?  '' 


F.   Underwood 


Preparing  Compresses  for  the  Red  Cross 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


199 


Underwood  and   Underwood. 


A  Hospital  Transferred  to  General  Pershing 

The  American  Ambulance  at  NeuIUy  was  turned  over  to  General  Pershing  on  July  22,  191 7. 

After   that   time   the  American   Ambulance   Committee  was  replaced  by  the  Army,  and  the  work 

went  on  under   a  different  name. 


General's  Office,  passed  through  this  section, 
where  record  was  made. 

In  addition  to  the  permanent  staff  at  each 
large  hospital,  a  second  complete  administra- 
tive stafif  was  formed  to  be  used  as  a  nucleus 
in  organizing  new  field  units  and  new  hos- 
pitals to  be  opened  up.  The  method  was  for 
the  commanding  officer  and  each  administra- 
tive officer  to  have  an  understudy  who  assisted 
him  in  all  of  his  duties  and  who  was  trained 
to  either  take  up  the  work  of  his  chief  when 
the  latter  was  relieved,  or  to  establish  the  same 
line  of  work  elsewhere.  This  scheme  made 
possible  the  prompt  establishment  of  new  hos- 
pitals \\henever  required.  This  plan  was  suc- 
cessful and  was  continued  up  to  the  signing 
of  the  armistice,  when,  the  necessity  for  addi- 
tional hospitals  being  no  longer  pressing,  it 
was  discontinued. 

HOSPITAL  TRAINS 

The  procurement  and  administration  of 
hospital  trains  was  handled  under  this  sec- 
tion.    At  the  opening  of  hostilities  the  War 


Department  owned  one  hospital  train  consist- 
ing of  ten  cars.  It  has  since  purchased  three 
trains  of  six  cars  each.  Three  cars  of  the 
first  train  were  remodeled  and  were  added 
to  the  three  new  trains,  making  four  trains 
of  seven  cars  each.  Twenty  Pullman  cars 
were  purchased  and  remodeled  by  a  thorough 
overhauling,  removal  of  seats,  provision  of 
hospital  beds,  installation  of  kitchen,  appropri- 
ate plumbing,  heating  and  lighting,  and  thus 
converted  into  what  is  called  a  "unit"  car, 
which  is  capable  of  carrying  all  supplies  for 
a  hospital  train  of  250  people,  cooking  for 
that  number  and  providing  sleeping  accommo- 
dations for  the  commissioned  and  enlisted  per- 
sonnel necessary  to  operate  the  train.  Thus, 
by  attaching  to  a  "unit"  car  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  Pullman  sleepers,  a  complete  hospital 
train  for  250  patients  w^as  formed.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  above,  twenty  kitchen  cars  were 
leased  and  used  as  unit  cars  for  as  many 
trains,  thus  making  a  total  of  forty-seven 
trains.  The  disabled  soldier  of  former  wars 
little  dreamed  of  such  luxury  as  these  trains 
with   up-to-date   improvements  afforded. 


200 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


At  the  Trudeau  Sanitarium  at  Hatchette 

Here  the  Red  Cross  maintained  in  the  manor  house    a    hospital    for   tuberculosis.     One    hundred 
and  eighty  French  children  were  housed  in  newly  built  barraclcs  near  by. 


CENSUS    AND    DISTRIBUTION 

The  principal  function  of  this  section  was 
the  distribution  of  returning  sick  and  wounded 
from  overseas  to  general  and  base  hospitals, 
together  with  the  transfer  of  groups  of  do- 
mestic cases  from  hospital  to  hospital  in  the 
interior.  In  following  out  the  policy  to  send  pa- 
tients to  hospitals  located  nearest  their  homes, 
it  was  necessary  to  take  into  consideration: 
(a)  nature  of  the  disability;  (b)  facilities 
at  that  hospital  for  the  care  of  that  par- 
ticular case;  (c)  the  number  of  beds  avail- 
able. All  of  this  w'as  accomplished  in 
this  section. 

Daily  telegraphic  reports  w^ere  received 
from  all  hospitals  caring  for  overseas  sick, 
showing  the  number  of  beds  occupied,  the 
number  vacant  and  the  number  of  patients 
received.  When  coordinated,  these  reports 
formed  a  record  preventing  the  possibility  of 
overcrowding  a  hospital  or  improperly  dis- 
tributing patients.  When  patients  were  re- 
ceived in  the  United  States  and  classified  at 


the  debarkation  hospitals  at  New  York  and 
Newport  News,   a  distribution  list  was  pre- 
pared showing  the  number  and  classes  of  cases 
to  be  transferred  to  each  particular  hospital — 
that  is,  amputations,  arthritis,  blind,  epileptic, 
etc.,  etc.     This  information  was  received  in 
this  office  from  the  ports,  checked  against  the 
daily  records,   changes  made  when   necessary 
and  results  reported  to  surgeons  of  the  ports 
by  telephone  with  authorization  for  transfer. 
From  April,   191 7,  to  April  30,   19 19,  there 
were  transferred  to  the  interior  hospitals  of 
the  United    States   from   New  York   89,333 
cases,  and  from  Newport  News  32,246,  mak- 
ing  a   total   of    121,579.      During   the   same 
period     there    were     20,397     domestic    cases 
moved   by  the  inter-hospital   transfer   in   the 
United  States,  making  a  total  of  141,976  dis- 
positions handled  hy  this  section,  and  an  equal 
number  of  patients  moved  by  train.  The  effi- 
cient  development  of  this — at   first  glance — 
seemingly  unimportant  section  gives  some  idea 
of  the  intricacy  and  thoroughness  of  the  Med- 
ical Corps'  war  organization. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


201 


<iJ)     Press  Illustrating   Co. 


War  Orphans 


The  American  Red  Cross  did  3'eoman  service  in  France  in  taking  care  of  the  children.     It  estab- 
lished depots  where  repatriated  children   from  the   conquered    provinces   were    cared    for.     Several 

hospitals  were  also  maintained  for  tubercular  children. 


PERSONNEL 

This  section  handled  and  consolidated 
the  reports  of  personnel  at  all  hospitals. 
It  followed  up  inspection  reports  made 
by  the  Surgeon  General's  inspectors.  It  was 
the  function  of  this  section  to  see  that  ap- 
proved corrections  were  carried  out ;  in  other 
words,  this  section  was  responsible  that  army 
hospitals  functioned  according  to  existing 
regulations,  that  the  patients  received  proper 
care,  that  the  buildings  and  grounds  were  sat- 
isfactory and  that  the  personnel  was  proper 
and  sufficient.  Here  also  were  coordinated 
all  data  of  value  in  operating  the  hospitals. 

The  statistics  of  this  section  show  that  dur- 
ing the  period  of  the  emergency  there  were 
operating  on  a  monthly  average  thirty  general 
hospitals,  thirty-two  base  hospitals  and  131 
miscellaneous  hospitals  for  the  care  of  the  sick 
in  the  United  States.     Each  of  these  hospitals 


had  on  duty  an  average  of  thirty-three  medi- 
cal officers,  selected  from  the  best  personnel 
of  the  army  and  country  at  large,  eighty-eight 
trained  nurses  and  465  enlisted  men  of  the 
Medical  Department.  In  round  numbers  2,- 
000,000  sick  were  treated  in  these  hospitals 
from  the  time  of  the  first  draft  in  191 7  to 
April  25,  1919.  The  total  number  of  medi- 
cal officers,  nurses  and  enlisted  men  employed 
in  the  army  hospitals  during  the  period  of 
the  war  would  furnish  the  entire  population 
for  a  city  the  size  of  Albany,  New  York. 
At  one  time  150,000  beds  were  set  up  for  use 
in  the  army  hospitals.  If  these  beds  were 
placed  end  to  end  they  would  form  an  almost 
unbroken  line  from  New  York  to  Wash- 
ington. 

On  April  6,  191 7,  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment had  approximately  981  commissioned 
officers,  403  female  nurses,  and  6,900  enlisted 
men  on  active  duty.     On  December  i,   1 91 8, 


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THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


203 


there  were  approximately  40,100  coinmis- 
sioned  officers,  21,480  female  nurses  and  264,- 
000  enlisted  men.  In  other  words,  where 
there  had  b»en  one,  there  were  forty ! 

The  records  of  these  officers  were  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Personnel  Division,  which 
at  the  beginning  of  the  war  consisted  of  one 
officer  and  ten  clerks.  On  December  i,  191 8, 
the  Personnel  Division  had  increased  to  fif- 
teen officers  and  three  hundred  and  eleven 
clerks. 


May  18,  191 7,  the  Medical  Corps,  National 
Army,  Veterinary  Corps,  National  Army, 
Sanitary  Corps  and  Ambulance  Corps  came 
into  existence,  making  in  all  a  total  of  thir- 
teen corps  in  the  Medical  Department.  The 
Act  of  August  7th  merged  all  of  the  above 
groups  of  medical  corps  into  the  Medical 
Corps,  the  United  States  Army. 

After  January  i,  191 9,  officers  were  dis- 
charged from  the  Medical  Department  at  an 
average  rate  of  nearly  one  thousand  per  week. 


Upon  declaration  of  war,  it  became  imme-      The  Personnel  Division  of  the  Surgeon  Gen- 


diately  necessary  to  call  upon  the  medical  pro- 
fession of  the  country  to  augment  the  Regu- 
lar Medical  Corps  in  order  to  provide  ade- 
quate medical  care  and  treatment  for  the  enor- 
mous armies  which  it  was  certain  would  be 
brought  into  the  field.  One  hundred  and 
eleven  medical  officers  and  fourteen  hundred 
enlisted  men  of  the  Medical  Department  were 
required  for  each  infantry  division.  In  ad- 
dition, a  great  number  of  medical  officers 
was   required    for   the   camps,    posts,    schools,      Army    Nurse    Corps    233    members    of    th( 


eral's  Office  was  reduced  from  311  clerks  and 
fifteen  officers  to  120  clerks  and  ten  officers. 
It  will  be  seen  that  this  reduction  was  greater 
in  proportion  than  the  reduction  in  the  Medi- 
cal Corps  in  the  field. 


ARMY  NURSE  CORPS 

On    the    day    the    United    States    declared 
war     with     Germany     there     were     in     the 


and  ports  of  embarkation,  and  for  the  gen- 
eral camp  and  base  hospitals  and  for  miscel- 
laneous duties.  These  included  a  large  num- 
ber of  specialists. 

Several  years  before  the  war  there  had  been 
organized  a  iVIedical  Reserve  Corps,  which 
included  in  its  membership  many  prominent 
civilian  physicians  and  surgeons.  This  small 
Reserve   Corps  was   immediately   called    into 


Regular  Corps,  and  170  reserve  nurses  on 
active  duty  because  of  the  mobilization  of 
troops  on  the  Border.  The  needs,  both  in  this 
country  and  in  France,  increased  enormously, 
and  at  the  time  of  signing  the  armistice  there 
were  approximately  21,500  nurses  on  active 
duty,  about  10,000  of  these  being  overseas. 
These  21,500  women  were  not  employees  of 
the  Red   Cross,   but  were  nurses  enrolled   in 


service,  and  it,  together  with  the  Regular  and  paid  by  the  United  States  Government  as 
Medical  Corps,  formed  a  nucleus  for  a  Medi-  an  integral  part  of  its  Medical  Department, 
cal  Corps  of  more  than  thirty  thousand  The  fact  that  nurses,  as  well  as  officers  and 
officers.  enlisted  men  of  the  Medical  Department,  in 
The  task  of  classifying,  commissioning,  and  the  zone  of  operation  wear  the  red  cross  bras- 
assigning  these  new  medical  officers  was  sud-  sard  of  the  Geneva  Convention  led  many  to 
denly  thrown  upon  the  Personnel  Division  of  suppose  that  such  personnel  was  furnished  by 
the  Surgeon  General's  Office.     The  Statisti-  the   Red    Cross    Society.    To   supplement   the 


cal  Section  indexed  and  classified  all  available 
physicians  of  the  country,  the  cards  being  ar- 
ranged alphabetically,  by  states  and  by  spe- 
cialties. 

There  were  in  existence  on  April  6,  191 7, 
nine  corps  in  the  Medical  Department,  as  fol- 
lows: Medical  Corps,  Medical  Reserve  Corps, 
Medical  Corps  of  the  National  Guard,  Dental 
Corps,  Dental  Reserve  Corps,  Dental  Corps 
of  the  National  Guard,  Veterinary  Corps, 
Veterinary  Reserve  Corps,  and  Veterinary 
Corps  of  the  National  Guard.  Under  the 
authority   of   an   Act   of   Congress,    approved      broadly  speaking,  the  control  of  communica- 


waning  supply  of  graduate  nurses,  the  Medical 
Department  established  the  Army  School  for 
Nurses.  For  this  school  10,767  young  women 
made  application,  5,517  were  accepted  and 
1.600  were  in  training  at  32  different  hos- 
pitals when  the  armistice  was  declared. 

DIVISION    OF    LABORATORinS    AND    INFECTIOUS 
DISEASES 

The  duties  of  the  Division  of  Laboratories 
and     Infectious     Diseases     mav     be     termed, 


(-  loss  Magazine. 


Red  Cross  Worker  Reading  To  Convalescent  Soldier 

One  of  the  joys  of  being  convalescent — and  also  of  beinjj  unahle  to  use  one's  eyes  for  reading— was 

to  be  read  to  by  an  interesting  Red  Cross  worker. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


205 


ble  diseases,  more  particularly  from  the  stand- 
point of  laboratory  methods;  the  diagnosis  of 
these  diseases  by  these  same  methods ;  and  the 
accumulation  of  material,  by  research  and  by 
observation  of  the  individual  cases,  for  the 
further  study  of  these  conditions.  In  addi- 
tion, the  administration  of  the  Surgeon  Gen- 
eral's programme  for  combating  venereal  dis- 
eases was  assigned  to  this  division,  so  that  in 
this  class  of  diseases  all  methods  of  control 
were  combined  under  one  head. 

To  enable  better  control  to  be  exercised 
over  the  communicable  diseases,  epidemiologi- 
cal records  were  kept  and  charts  made  up 
from  the  figures  of  the  daily  and  weekly 
telegraphic  reports  received  from  the  various 
camps,  posts  and  stations  by  the  Division  of 
Sanitation.  These  enabled  the  officer  in 
charge  to  follow  the  progress  of  disease  and 
recommend  measures  of  control.  The  graphic 
representation  of  disease  conditions  and  the 
careful  following  of  numerical  reports  as  tabu- 
lated by  the  statistical  section  of  the  Surgeon 
General's  Office  served  to  keep  the  office  in 
close  touch  with  what  was  occurring  in  the 


camps  and  enabled  it  to  take  prompt  and  effi- 
cient action  towards  checking  any  epidemic 
of  disease.  These  functions  were  handled  by 
the  Communicable  Disease  Section,  which, 
prior  to  November  i,  19 18,  was  a  section  of 
the  Division  of  Sanitation. 

FIGHTING  DISEASE 

The  problems  presented  to  the  Division  of 
Laboratories  and  Infectious  Diseases  were 
both  varied  and  extremely  important  in  their 
relations  to  the  prevention  of  wastage  in 
troops.  Developments  in  sanitation  and  sani- 
tary control  and  in  specific  preventive  meas- 
ures, such  as  vaccines,  indicated  that  the  in- 
testinal group  diseases  (typhoid  fever  and 
dysentery),  which  have  wrought  such  havoc  in 
the  armies  of  the  past,  would  be  controlled  by 
the  protection  given  by  typhoid  and  paraty- 
phoid vaccine  and  by  adequate  general  sani- 
tary measures.  The  expectations  in  regard 
to  this  group  of  diseases  have  been  confirmed. 
Typhoid  fever  occurred  in  the  devastated 
and  extremely  unsanitary  regions  of  the  West- 


,.■**«. 


f.^.,^^ 


(Wfc- 


Courtesy   of  Red   Cross  Magazine. 

The  Inside  of  a  Hospital  Tent 

Just  what  the  inside  of  a  tent  hospital,  established  in  record  time  at  Auteuil,  looks  like,  showing 

particularly   the  windows. 


206 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


? 


*:j^*^' 


■t»B6»«* 


.•JK.XBSI! 


Tent  Hospital  at  Auteuil 


tourtcsy   of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 


An  outside  view  of  the  Red  Cross  hospital  at  Auteuil,  which  was  one  of  the  many  established  in 

and    around    Paris. 


em  front,  but  the  incidence  was  low,  and 
typhoid  fever  during  the  World  War  was 
never  a  serious  menace  to  any  of  the  armies 
involved. 

Diseases  of  the  respiratory  tract  (throat 
and  lungs),  as  in  other  wars,  have  been  a 
serious  problem,  and  with  the  practical  elim- 
ination of  the  intestinal  group  of  infections 
they  became  the  most  important  problem  of 
the  Medical  Department  in  this  war,  more 
particularly  because  of  the  pandemic  of  in- 
fluenza. The  most  vigorous  measures  were 
pursued  in  studying  and  attempting  to  con- 
trol the  occurrence  and  mortality  of  these 
diseases,  and  many  facts  were  ascertained,  the 
application  of  which  proved  of  considerable 
value  during  the  period  of  active  operations. 
The  continued  study  of  these  conditions  will 
undoubtedly  eventually  place  in  our  hands 
more  adequate  means  of  control.  Changes  in 
the  method  of  treatment  of  pneumonia,  which 
occurred  as  a  result  of  scientific  research  m 
the  two  or  three  years  preceding  the  war, 
allowed  the  problem  of  respiratory  diseases  to 
be  studied  more  accurately,  and  permitted  spe- 


cific measures  to  be  employed  for  the  cure  of 
these  conditions. 

Epidemic  cerebro-spinal  meningitis  is  al- 
ways an  important  disease  when  troops  are 
mobilized.  Infection  in  this  disease  is  trans- 
mitted by  discharges  from  the  mouth  and  nose. 
Specific  measures  of  control  by  means  of 
serum  treatment  were  used  throughout  the 
service.  The  laboratories  of  the  army  ex- 
amined hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  to  dis- 
cover those  who,  though  not  having  the  dis- 
ease, were  yet  capable,  as  healthy  "carriers," 
of  transmitting  it  to  others.  The  discovery 
of  these  so-called  "carriers"  and  their  isola- 
tion and  treatment  to  render  them  harmless 
to  others  was  one  of  the  most  important  tasks 
of  the  laboratories.  The  work  with  pneu- 
monia and  meningitis  practically  trebled  the 
amount  of  work  formerly  done  in  army  lab- 
oratories, while  recent  advances  in  chemistry 
added  to  the  total  of  laboratory  procedures; 
many  of  the  procedures  were  hitherto  not  used 
for  the  study  and  control  of  disease  except 
in  especially  equipped  civil  institutions.  To 
handle  this  problem   efficiently  it  was  neces- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


207 


American  Ambulance  on  Shell-Swept  Road  Near  Verdun 

The  driver,  "Dick"  Hall  of  Dartmouth,  lost  his  life  near  this  spot. 


sary  to  control  the  production  of  medical 
laboratory  apparatus  and  supplies.  Ger- 
many and  Austria  had  produced  in  the  past 
the  large  proportion  of  the  laboratory  glass- 
ware and  chemicals  used  in  this  country,  and 
it  was  necessary  to  adopt  standard  types  of 
apparatus  for  the  work  of  the  laboratories  of 
the  army  and  to  stimulate  the  manufacture 
of  this  apparatus  and  initiate  the  production 
in  this  country  of  certain  indispensable  chemi- 
cals. In  this  the  army  was  aided  greatly  by 
the  cooperation  of  the  Medical  Division  of 
the  National  Council  of  Research. 

A  STUDY  FROM  REALITY 

Not  only  were  supplies  deficient  both  in 
kind  and  quantity  but  also  there  was  an  ex- 
treme deficiency  of  properly  trained  person- 
nel to  do  the  work.  To  meet  this,  army 
schools  were  established  and  several  thousand 
men  were  trained  in  laboratory  procedures, 
while  schools  throughout  the  country,  at  the 
special  request  of  the  Surgeon  General,  estab- 
lished courses  for  both  men  and  women  to  fit 
them  for  this  kind  of  work. 

To  produce  the  necessary  sera  and  vaccines 
for   the  prevention    and    treatment   of   disease 


in  the  Army  and  Nav)',  the  Army  Medical 
School  increased  its  power  of  production  to 
a  marked  degree.  Thousands  of  gallons  of 
typhoid  and  other  vaccine  were  produced,  and 
large  quantities  of  special  sera  made  for  diag- 
nostic purposes.  In  addition,  other  institu- 
tions and  laboratories,  both  public  and  private, 
contributed,  at  the  request  of  the  Surgeon 
General,  all  the  surplus  materials  of  this  kind 
it  was  possible  for  them  to  produce,  and  as 
a  result  the  hospitals  were  alwa5?s  supplied 
with  an  abundance  of  these  materials. 

The  Army  Medical  Museum,  which  has  al- 
ways been  the  collecting  place  of  the  Arm\- 
for  specimens  of  interest  on  medical  subjects, 
enlarged  tlie  scope  of  its  activities  by  including 
a  field  organization.  As  a  result,  an  enormous 
amount  of  material  has  been  collected  and  is 
now  being  so  preserved  as  to  be  of  permanent 
value  in  the  study  of  disease.  Moving  pic- 
ture films  ha\'e  been  produced  on  subjects  of 
medical  interest,  and  illustrations  and  wax 
models  of  disease  conditions  have  been  made 
which  will  always  be  available  to  the  medical 
profession  of  this  and  other  countries  for 
future  study,  and  will  doubtless  prove  to  be 
a  most  valuable  aiil  to  the  furtherance  of 
progress  along  these  lines. 


208 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


THE  WAR  ON  VENEREAL  DISEASES 

'rTie  administration  of  the  Surgeon  Gen- 
eral's programme  for  combating  venereal  dis- 
eases constituted  perhaps  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant sections  of  the  work  of  the  Division 
of  Laboratories  and  Infectious  Diseases.  The 
problem  of  venereal  diseases  has  always 
been  of  vital  interest  to  all  armies,  and  the 
fight  against  this  class  of  infections  has  been 
carried  on  most  activel)'  and  openly  in  the 
Army  for  many  years.     With  the  passage  of 


bating  venereal  diseases  were  divided  into  edu- 
cational, law  enforcement,  and  early  treat- 
ment sections.  By  educational  measures  every 
soldier  was  reached  either  by  lectures,  appro- 
priate literature  or  moving  pictures  of  all 
these  methods,  while  especially  suited  enlisted 
men  were  detailed  to  organizations  and  kept 
in  close  personal  touch  with  the  soldiers. 
The  temptations  of  the  soldier  were  furtlier 
reduced  by  furnishing  him  with  attractive  op- 
portunities for  recreation.  This  work  was 
carried    on    largely    by    the    Commission    of 


©      Undervjood  and   Underwood. 


German  Ambulance  Corps  Taking  Care  of  Their  Wounded. 


the  draft  act  it  became  evident  that  it  would 
be  necessary  to  extend  the  fight  to  the  civil 
population,  not  only  as  the  latter  was  a  source 
of  infection  of  the  army,  but  also  that  every 
effort  might  be  made  to  diminish  the  incidence 
of  these  diseases  among  men  drafted  and 
about  to  be  drafted.  To  accomplish  this  more 
effectively  a  section  on  combating  venereal  dis- 
eases was  added  to  the  War  Department's 
Commission  on  Training  Camp  Activities. 
This  section  worked  in  close  liaison  with  the 
Office  of  the  Surgeon  General,  more  par- 
ticularly as  the  administration  of  this  section 
and  the  personnel  for  the  work  was  furnished 
by  the  Surgeon  General. 

The  activities  of  this  programme  for  corn- 


Training  Camp  Activities  and  affiliated  or- 
ganizations. Wholesome  amusement  inside 
the  camp  and  in  the  communities  visited  by 
soldiers  were  provided  to  satisfy  the  longing 
for  adventure  and  excitement  which  so  often 
overcomes  the  discretion  of  the  lonely  and 
idle  man  in  a  strange  city. 

The  Surgeon  General  assigned  especially 
qualified  officers,  mostly  lawyers,  to  the  Law 
Enforcement  Division  of  the  Commission,  to 
see  that  the  federal  and  local  laws  against 
prostitution  and  liquor  selling  were  thor- 
oughly enforced.  The  results  exceeded  all 
expectations.  In  a  jear  and  a  half  about 
130  red  light  districts  were  closed  at  the 
instigation   of  these   officers.     It  is  estimated 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


209 


that  not  more  than  five  openly  recognized  red 
light  districts  remained  in  the  whole  United 
States.  Street  walking  and  the  connivance 
of  lodging-house  and  hotel  keepers,  automo- 
bile drivers,  and  others,  with  prostitution  was 
consistently  kept  down.  Trained  women  so- 
cial workers,  experts  in  the  building  and  man- 
agement of  reformatories  and  detention  houses, 
and  other  civilian  investigators  participated  in 
the  work.  Cooperation  from  the  police  and 
health  officials  and  the  legislative  bodies  of  the 
states  and  cities,  as  a  whole,  was  excellent. 
The  incidence  of  venereal  disease  was  dimin- 
ished and  the  entire  problem  of  the  fight 
against  this  plague  was  brought  out  into  the 
open,  and  a  future  campaign  to  diminish  their 
incidence  placed  squarely  before  the  American 
people. 

From  incomplete  statistics  of  the  war,  it  is 
shown  that  of  225,000  cases  of  venereal  dis- 
ease, 200,000  were  contracted  before  enlist- 
ment; that  is,  before  the  men  joined  the 
army.  The  record  of  the  army  for  cases 
contracted  after  enlistment  was  good,  showing 
the  effect  of  the  combination  of  the  several 
measures  included  in  the  Surgeon  General's 
programme. 

In  addition  to  these  preventive  measures, 
adequate  treatment  was  provided  for  every 
soldier  infected  with  this  class  of  diseases, 
and  not  only  that,  but  under  present  regula- 
tions men  so  infected,  whether  they  brought 
the  disease  into  the  army  w^ith  them  or  ac- 
quired it  after  entrance,  were  retained  in  the 
service  until  they  were  no  longer  infectious 
to  others  nor  a  danger  to  the  community  to 
which  they  went. 

DENTAL  CORPS  ACTIVITIES 

When  war  was  declared  there  were  eighty- 
six  commissioned  dental  officers  in  the  Reg- 
ular Army  of  the  United  States.  There  were 
approximately  thirty  dental  officers  in  foreign 
service,  viz.,  in  the  Philippines,  Hawaii  and 
Panama,  the  remaining  officers  being  scat- 
tered throughout  the  United  States.  There 
was  no  Dental  Reserve  Corps.  Although  one 
had  been  authorized  by  law,  no  regulations 
were  promulgated  to  organize  such  a  Corps 
until  after  we  entered  the  war. 

Early  in  April,  19 17,  the  Committee  on 
Dentistry  of  the  General  Medical  Board  of 


the  Council  of  National  Defense  met  in 
Washington.  Then,  and  at  the  several  sub- 
sequent meetings  of  the  Committee,  the  ques- 
tion of  Reserve  Officers  and  the  problem  of 
mobilizing  all  dental  activities  was  discussed, 
and  the  foundation  of  the  Dental  Reserve 
Corps  was  laid. 

Early  rules  go\erning  the  entrance  of  civil- 
ian dentists  into  the  Reserve  Corps  were  im- 
proved upon  by  the  appointment  of  Prelim- 
inary Dental  Examiners  who  were  members 
of  State  Examining  Boards,  Deans  of  recog- 
nized dental  colleges,  or  other  persons  pecul- 
iarly fitted  to  examine  applicants  for  com- 
mission. 

Dentists  were  clamoring  to  enter  the  ser- 
vice, and  within  a  period  of  five  months 
enough  dentists  had  been  commissioned  in  the 
Reserve  Corps  and  Regular  Army  to  provide 
for  an  army  of  approximately  five  million  men 
at  the  authorized  quota  of  one  dentist  to  each 
one  thousand  enlisted  men.  Examinations 
were  closed  on  September  16,  191 7,  except  to 
certain  specialists  who  were  given  specific 
authorization  for  examination  after  that  date 
because  of  their  peculiar  qualifications.  Ex- 
aminations were  also  given  after  this  date  to 
dentists  who  had  been  drafted  and  who  had 
been  rejected  for  commission  in  the  Reserve 
Corps  previously  because  of  physical  disabil- 
ities. 

On  September  30,  191 8,  the  War  Depart- 
ment authorized  the  quota  of  one  dentist  to 
each  500  men,  and  examinations  for  com- 
missions in  the  Dental  Reserve  Corps  were 
reopened  on  October  3rd.  Those  dentists 
who  were  in  active  military  service,  either  as 
drafted  men  or  members  of  the  Medical  En- 
listed Reserve  Corps,  were  given  the  prefer- 
ence for  commission.  Examinations  remained 
open  until  closed  by  order  of  the  Secretary 
of  War  on  November  9,  191 8.  The  profes- 
sion availed  itself  of  the  opportunity  offered. 

On  November  15,  191 8,  there  were  6,254 
dental  officers  commissioned,  of  whom  4,286 
Reserve  Officers  and  224  Regular  Corps  Offi- 
cers were  in  active  service.  There  were  ap- 
proximately 2,000  with  the  American  Expe- 
ditionary Forces. 

Schools  were  established  in  Philadelphia, 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis  to  give  special  training 
to  officers  who  were  to  do  oral  and  plastic 
surgery,  and  dentists  were  assigned  to  these 


2IO 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


schools  for  that  training  and  were  associated 
with  the  surgeons  throughout  the  war  in  this 
special  work. 

At  the  three  Face  and  Jaw  Hospitals,  Cape 
May,  Fort  McHenry  and  Walter  Reed,  the 
number  of  dentists  on  duty  was  in  excess  of 
the  authorized  quota,  but  the  demands  of  that 
service  required  additional  dental  officers  for 
the  reason  that  the  plastic  surgeon  relies 
upon  the  dental  surgeon  for  mechanical  ap- 
pliances, scaffolding  or  frame  work  for  many 
of  his  plastic  operations,  and  practically  all 
of  the  bone  grafts  in  and  about  the  face  and 
jaw.  The  replacement  of  lost  masticatory 
apparatus  in  these  cases  is  in  itself  a  difficult 
procedure  and  requires  skill. 

A  Dental  Officers'  Training  Camp  was 
established  at  Camp  Greenleaf,  in  connection 
with  the  Medical  Officers'  Training  Camp. 
The  first  class  reported  March  15,  191 8,  and 
the  school  continued  from  that  time  until 
about  December  15,  19 18.  The  course  was 
limited  to  two  months,  one  month  being  given 
over  to  strictly  military  instruction,  and  the 
second  month  being  given  to  professional  in- 
struction, together  with  a  few  hours  of  con- 
tinued military  instruction.  Approximately 
375  dental  officers  passed  through  this  school 
and  were  instructed  in  the  methods  of  stand- 


ardized   dental    service    with    the    equipment 
furnished  by  the  government. 

Practically  all  the  General  Hospitals  de- 
manded more  dental  officers.  The  ruling 
which  provided  that  dental  structure  lost 
through  traumatic  injuries,  or  diseases  in- 
curred in  line  of  duty,  be  replaced  by  the 
government  in  the  best  manner  possible, 
either  by  bridge  work  or  by  dentures,  placed 
a  heavy  burden  on  the  dental  service.  Also, 
dentists  in  various  General  and  Base  Hospi- 
tals were  under  instructions  to  free  the  mouths 
of  all  patients  from  calcareous  deposits  and 
focal  infection,  thus  assisting  in  the  early 
recovery  and  evacuation  of  the  patient. 

DIVISION  OF  PHYSICAL   RECONSTRUCTION: 
REMAKING    THE    MAIMED 

The  policy  of  physical  reconstruction  of 
disabled  soldiers,  later  extended  to  disabled 
sailors  and  marines,  was  formulated  in  the 
office  of  the  Surgeon  General  in  August, 
191 7;  practically  applied  in  seven  hospitals 
early  in  191 8,  and  the  policy  and  programme 
were  finally  approved  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment on  July  29,   19 1 8. 

Physical  reconstruction  as  applied  in  mili- 
tary hospitals   is   defined   as  continued   treat- 


American  Dentists  In  Paris 


©     Gilctte   Burgess. 
VII— 1  J 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


211 


ment,  carried  to  the  fullest  degree  of  maxi- 
mum physical  and  functional  restoration  con- 
sistent with  the  nature  of  the  disability  of 
the  sick  or  injured  soldier,  by  the  employment 
of  all  known  measures  of  modern  medical  and 
surgical  management,  including  physio  ther- 
apy (thermo,  electric,  hydro,  and  mechano 
therapy,  massage,  calisthenics,  gymnastics,  mil- 
itary drill,  and  the  like),  curative  mental  and 
manual  work  (in  wards,  shops,  schools,  gar- 
dens, and  fields)  and  sports  and  games  in  and 
out  of  doors. 

For  administration  the  Division  of  Physi- 
cal Reconstruction  in  the  office  of  the  Sur- 
geon General  was  organized  with  a  personnel 
of  a  Director  and  assistant,  with  sections  on 
education  (general,  technical,  agricultural, 
and  psychological)  ;  training  the  blind ;  train- 
ing the  deaf  and  correction  of  speech  defects, 
and  physiotherapy. 

High  educational  standards  were  fixed 
through  the  aid  and  advice  of  qualified  civilian 
educators — among  whom  may  be  mentioned 
Dean  James  E.  Russell  of  Teachers'  College, 


Columbia  University,  and  Dean  L.  D.  Coff- 
man  of  the  University  of  Minnesota,^ 

^  In  each  hospital  designated  to  function  in  physical 
reconstruction,   facilities   were  provided   as  follows: 

I.     An    educational    personnel    consisting   of 

(a)  Chief  Educational  Officer,  with  assistants  in 
technical  and  agricultural  training,  and 
psychologists. 

(b)  Instructors  in  academic,  commercial,  trade 
and    agricultural    occupations. 

(c)  Civilian  women  (Reconstruction  Aides) 
qualified  by  previous  experience  as  teachers 
and  by  intensive  training  to  teach  the  sick 
and  wounded  in  the  arts  and  handicrafts 
and  in  academic  and  commercial  studies  in 
the    wards. 

Z.     A  Director  and  qualified  personnel  of  enlisted  men 

to    apply    various    types    of    physio    therapy,    assisted    by 

(a)   Civilian     women     employees     (Reconstruction 

Aides)     qualified     by     education,     experience 

and     intensive     training     to     apply     massage, 

thermo-,    electro-,    and    local    hydro-therapy. 

3.  A  Director  of  recreation  in  sports,  games,  gymnas- 
tics and  military  drill,  with  a  qualified  personnel  of  as- 
sistants, in  cooperation  with  the  Commission  of  Training 
Camp  Activities  of  the  War  Department,  the  American 
Red  Cross,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  K.  of  C,  the  Jewish 
Welfare   Board,   and   the   Salvation  Army. 

4.  Construction  of  buildings  or  alteration  of  exist- 
ing buildings,  suitable  for  shops  for  academic  and  com- 
mercial study,  for  horti-  and  flori-culture,  for  physio- 
therapy, for  gymnasia,  and  for  farm  pursuits.  Available 
gardens  and  fields  have  been  utilized  to  train  the  con- 
valescents in  places  of  gardening,  farming,  and  the 
like. 

5.  Equipment  for  shops,  schools,  and  for  physio- 
therapy, including  the  gymnasia.  Practically  all  needed 
books  were  furnished  each  hospital  by  the  American 
Library   Association. 


Caring  for  French  Babies  in  a  War  Nursery 

Every  one  heard  more  or  less  about  the  great  war  reliefs,  but  did  you  ever  stop  to  think  that  they 
were  conducted  for  real  little  children  such  as  you  see  here? 


A  Bath  Train  To  Combat  Typhus 


Courtesy  of  the  Red  Cross, 


Devised 

mote  parts 


by  an  American   doctor  in    Rumania   and    operated    under    his    supervision    in    the    re- 
of  the  country  where  proper  sanitary    appliances    were    lacking.      One    of    the    means 
whereby  a  plague  of  typhus  fever  was  successfully  overcome. 


I 


THE  ARMIES 


©     Droii'H  Bros. 

An  American  Ambulance  In  France 

MANY  KINDS  OF  WORK 

In  addition  to  text-books,  there  were  used 
as  guides  for  the  patients  and  teachers  approx- 
imately fifty  courses  of  outline  studies  in  aca- 
demic, commercial,  trade,  agricultural,  and 
allied  subjects,  which  were  prepared  by  the 
educational  officers  of  the  Division  of  Physical 
Reconstruction,  in  cooperation  with  represent- 
atives of  the  Federal  Board  for  Vocational 
Education. 

There  were  special  facilities  for  training 
the  blind  and  nearly  blind  soldiers,  sailors  and 
marines,  at  U.  S.  Army  General  Hospital 
No.  7,  at  Roland  Park,  Baltimore,  Maryland. 
The  blind  were  trained  to  dress,  feed  them- 
selves, and  to  get  about  independently ;  to 
read  Braille,  and  to  use  a  typewriter.  Co- 
incidently,  occupations  suitable  for  the  blind 
were  taught  by  a  corps  of  competent  instruc- 
tors. 

The  disabled  soldiers  who  suffered  from 
speech  defects  and  from  deafness  were  trained 
to  talk  and  to  understand  by  lip  reading  at  the 
U.  S.  Army  General  Hospital  No.  ii,  Cape 
May,  New  Jersey. 

Curative  work,  modified  to  meet  the  need 
of  the  tuberculosis  soldiers,  was  applied  at 
seven  military  tuberculosis  sanatoria. 

Before  the  armistice  was  signed,  approxi- 
mately 10,000  disabled  soldiers  were  returned 
from  the  American  Expeditionary  Force  to 
the  United  States.  These  were  cared  for 
in  sixteen  General  Military  Hospitals,  and 
those  who  needed  it  were  given  the  benefit 
of  the  continued  treatment  known  as  physical 
reconstruction. 


OF  MERCY  213 

Following  the  armistice,  the  return  of  the 
sick  and  injured  from  overseas  was  expedited. 
From  November  11,  1918,  to  May  i,  1919, 
approximately  110,000  disabled  soldiers  from 
the  American  Expeditionary  Force  were  re- 
turned to  America.  This  required  the  Med- 
ical Department  of  the  Army  to  secure  facil- 
ities for  the  application  of  measures  of  physi- 
cal reconstruction  in  additional  general  hos- 
pitals and  in  fifteen  base  hospitals  of  the  train- 
ing camps.  At  the  height  of  the  maximum 
degree  of  hospitalization  forty-eight  hospitals 
functioned  in  physical  reconstruction.^ 

Of  a  total  number  of  reconstruction  pa- 
tients discharged  for  disability  up  to  April  i, 
1919  (5)07o))  approximately  41  were  desig- 
nated  as  hopeless  or  institutional  cases;   510 

'  General  Hospitals  Functioning  in  Reconstruction. 

Walter        Reed,        Takoma  No.   20,   Whipple  Barracks, 

Park.   D.    C.  Ariz. 

Letterman,    San    Francisco,  No.    21,    Denver,   Colorado. 

Cal.  No.    24,    Parkview,    Penna. 

Ft.    Bayard,    New    Mexico.  No.    26,    Fort    Des    Moines, 

No.       2.       Ft.       McHenry,  Iowa. 

Maryland.  No.      28,      Fort      Sheridan, 
No.   3,   Rahway,   N.  J.  Illinois. 
No.  6,  Ft.   McPherson,  Ga.  No.   29.   Ft.   Snelling,   Min- 
No.    7,    Roland    Park.    Md.  nesota. 
No.  8,  Otisville,  N.  Y.  No.     30,     Plattsburg     Bar- 
No.   9,    Lakewood,    N.   J.  racks,    N.    Y. 
No.    10,   Boston,   Mass.  No.    31,    Carlisle,   Pa. 
No.     II,     Cape    May,     New  No.    36,    Detroit.    Michigan. 

Jersey.  No.   38,    Eastview,    N.    V. 

No.    12,   Biltmore.  N.   C.  No.    41.    Fox    Hills,    Staten 

No.     14,    Fort    Oglethorpe,  Island,   N,  Y. 

Ga.  No.    42,    Spartanburg,    S.  C. 

No.    16,   New   Haven,   Con-  No.      43,      Hampton,      Vir- 

necticut.  ginia. 
No.    19,  Oteen,   N.   C. 

Base  Hospitals  Functioning   in  Reconstruction. 

Ft.    Sam    Houstan,   Texas.  Camp  Lee.    Virginia. 

Ft.    Riley,    Kansas.  Camp  Lewis,     Washington. 

Camp    Custer,    Michigan.  Camp  Meade,     Maryland. 

Camp    Devens.    Mass.  Camp  Mills,    L.    I.,    N.    Y. 

Camp    Dodge,    Iowa.  Camp  Sherman.    Ohio. 

Tamp  Gordon,   Ga.  Camp  Travis,    Texas. 

Camp   Grant,    Ills.  Camp  Upton,   L.    I.,   N.  Y. 

Camp    Tackson,    S.    C.  Camp  Taylor,    Ky. 

Camp    Kearney,    California.  Camp  Pike,    Arkansas. 
Camp   Dix,   New  Jersey. 

The  base  hospitals  of  Camps  Custer,  Dodge,  Gordon, 
Tackson,  and  Kearney  were  designated  camp  hospitals, 
and    ceased    to    function    in    physical    reconstruction. 

The  educational  personnel  was  increased  to  meet  the 
need.  Excluding  duplicates,  this  increase  is  indicated 
by    a    comparison    of    the    personnel    of    December,     1918, 

with    that   of    March,    1919-  „  ,  ,,       . 

December      March 

Commissioned   officers   102  270 

Non-commissioned  officers    286  527 

Enlisted    men    409  361 

Reconstruction    aides     299  1070 

_.  ,          ....                ,            ( men.  ..29  78 

Other  civilian  employees  J  ^.Q^g„       ^  15 

Total    1 134  2321 

At  this  date  the  occupational  reconstruction  aides  cm- 
ployed    numbered    approximately    1400. 

The  personnel  of  the  department  of  physio-therapy  was 
also  increased  to  meet  the  need.  At  this  date  it  con- 
sisted of 

Commissioned    officers    44 

Enlisted    men    SO 

Reconstruction  aides   725 

Tota} ..••• 81? 


214 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


^1 


International    I-Ui 


Soldiers  Learning  a  Trade 


Uncle  Sam  did  not  desert  his  soldier  boys  after  they  had  bled  for  him.      He  taught  them  useful 

trades  so  that  they  might  remain  independent. 


were  reported  as  in  need  of  further  training, 
while  4,519  were  able  to  resume  their  old 
occupation  or  were  not  in  need  of  retraining. 

WARD   WORK 

Work  in  the  wards  was  divided  into  Ward 
Handcrafts  and  Ward  Academic  work.  The 
figures  for  the  number  of  enrollments  in  all 
educational  work  comprise  the  number  of  en- 
rollments on  the  first  of  the  month  plus  ad- 
missions during  the  month.  This  method 
aims  to  give  full  credit  to  the  hospital  for  its 
educational  work. 

Work  in  the  wards  for  March,  19 19, 
showed  an  increase  over  that  of  the  preceding 
months.  The  increase  in  enrollments  and  the 
increased  demand  for  instructors  emphasized 
the  value  of  this  work.  The  enrollments  for 
ward  handcrafts  were  as  follows : 

March,  1919 
Work  with   textiles    (knitting,  weav- 
ing, etc.)    4,786 

Wood  working  (carving,  toys,  etc.).      2,439 


Reed,  cane  and  liber  work 2,596 

Work   in   applied   pattern    (lettering, 

etc.)    282 

Metal  work  (jewelry,  etc.)   2,363 

Leather,  cardboard  and  binding  ....  1,233 
Work    in    plastic    materials    (pottery, 

etc. )    446 

Unclassified  enrollments 1,650 

Total  handcrafts 15,795 

Total  academic 3, 194 

Total  ward  work   18,989^ 

^  The   subjects  and   enrollments   in    Ward   Academic   for 
March,   1919,  are  listed: 


Typewriting     440 

Arithmetic     352 

English     336 

Reading     322 

Spelling     223 

Penmanship     208 

Shorthand     190 

Drawing     186 

Music     81 

Higher    math (<S 

Business     English 62 

Bookkeeping     60 

Spanish    51 

Agriculture     (study)..      48 


Drafting     47 

Braille    reading    45 

French     43 

Telegraphy      23 

Lip-reading     16 

Salesmanship    13 

Speech  correction    ... 

Italian     

Science     

Advertising     

Geography     

Commercial     law 

Civil    Service    

Latin     


Unclassified     332 

Total  ward  academic    3.194 

Total   including    handcrafts 18,989 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


215 


SHOP  AND  SCHOOL  WORK 

The  work  in  the  shop  and  school  was 
divided  into  three  divisions  according  to  the 
Educational  Officers'  Handbook,  namely: 

1.  General  courses,  which  included  aca- 
demic and  professional  subjects. 

2.  Technical  courses,  which  included:  (a) 
Shop  and  trade  courses;  e.  g.,  electrician, 
machinist,  etc.  (b)  Commercial;  e.  g.,  type- 
writing, shorthand,  etc.  (c)  Agriculture; 
e.  g.,  gardening,  crop  study,  etc. 

3.  Recreational  courses,  which  included 
drill,  physical  culture,  etc.,  prescribed  by  the 
ward  surgeon. 

Not  all  patients  in  the  various  reconstruc- 
tion hospitals  were  eligible  to  the  educational 
service  for  some  one  of  the  following  reasons: 

1.  Short-time  patients  (seven  days  or  less). 
These  patients  simply  passed  through  the  hos- 
pitals as  a  part  of  the  process  of  demobiliza- 
tion. 

2.  Contagious  wards  in  which  workers 
were  excluded. 

3.  Patients  severely  ill  and  secondary  surgi- 
cal cases  who  were  unable  and  too  weak  to 
work. 

4.  Psychopathic  cases  of  a  character  which 
made  work  impossible. 

5.  Patients  on  furlough,  absent  from  hos- 
pital, and  A.  W.  O.  L.,  but  carried  on  hos- 
pital population. 

For  administrative  reasons  it  was  not 
deemed  worth  while  to  develop  elaborate  ac- 
counting systems  to  separate  these  cases  from 
the  hospital  population.  It  is  probable  that 
in  general  these  classes  of  ineligibles  in  base 
hospitals  were  extremely  large.  That  from 
50  per  cent,  to  60  per  cent,  of  available  or 
eligible  patients  were  reached  is  a  conservative 
estimate.^ 

The  need  was  recognized  for  the  education 
of    the    public   and    of    the    disabled    soldiers 

'  Types  of  Cases  in   Educational  Service. 
(March    ist,    19 19.) 

Orthopedic     5, 016       Gastro-intestinal     154 

Pulmonary         tubercu-  Severe       injury       face 

losis 3,139  and  jaw    120 

Diseases — Wounds.  ...  1,689        V^enercal    disease 68 

Amputations 1,125        Skin    diseases    68 

Wound    or    injury    of  P>Iindness    64 

nervous    system ....     837        Deafness     34 

Functional     neurosis..     730        Neurasthenia     32 

Eye.     Ear,     Nose    and  Speech    defect    6 

Throat     536        I'aralysis     2 

Insanity     536  Other     general     medi- 

Gassed     323  cal     , 1,325 

Cardiovascular     313  Other    surgical    condi- 

Arthritis     246  tions    1,567 

Nephritis    199       Convalescent    i..6to 


themselves  as  to  the  value  of  curative  work 
in  the  continued  treatment  of  the  sick  and 
wounded.  In  cooperation  with  the  Federal 
Board  of  Vocational  Education,  the  American 
Red  Cross,  and  the  public  press,  circulars, 
pamphlets,  the  magazine  Carry  On,  and  arti- 
cles prepared  for  popular  monthly  magazines 
and  the  daily  press  were  circulated  throughout 
the  country  and  in  the  hospitals. 

The  application  of  occupational  therapy 
and  of  physio-thcxapy  in  the  treatment  of 
sick  and  wounded  disabled  soldiers  proved  of 
the  greatest  value  in  the  earlier  and  more 
certain  cure  of  patients. 

The  primary  application  of  work  in  the 
wards  served  as  a  means  of  diversion  and 
aroused  the  interest  of  the  patient.  This  dis- 
tracted him  from  a  contemplation  of  his  dis- 
ability. The  work  in  the  wards  was  replaced 
by  more  purposeful  preoccupational  and  occu- 
pational training  in  commercial  and  trade  sub- 
jects related  to  the  later  training  in  shops, 
gardens,  and  fields,  and  to  the  occupation  the 
soldier  would  be  most  likely  to  follow  after 
his  discharge  from  the  army. 

Cooperation  was  whole-heartedly  carried  out 
by  the  Surgeon  General  with  the  Federal 
Board  of  Vocational  Education.  By  agree- 
ment the  representatives  of  the  Federal  Board 
accredited  to  the  various  hospitals  had  confer- 
ences with  the  Educational  Officers  of  the 
hospitals  and  with  the  compensable  disabled 
soldier  patients,  in  the  effort  to  afford  them 
vocational  guidance  and  full  information  con- 
cerning their  privileges  under  the  provisions 
made  by  the  government  for  their  education 
and  training.  The  Federal  Board  agreed  to 
continue  the  vocational  training  of  the  soldiers 
begun  in  the  hospitals. 

Many  disabled  soldiers  were  so  fully 
vocationally  trained  while  patients  in  the  hos- 
pitals that  they  needed  no  further  training 
after  their  discharge. 

The  Surgeon  General  recognized  the  need 
of  training  and  education  of  many  compensa- 
ble disabled  soldiers  after  their  discharge.  He 
instructed  the  medical  staff  and  the  educa- 
tional personnel  of  each  hospital  to  endeavor 
by  every  possible  means  to  induce  compens- 
able disabled  soldier  patients  to  take  up  the 
needed  training  and  education  after  their  dis- 
charge from  the  army. 

After  the  armistice  was  signed,  many  con- 


2l6 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


^''^fe^^g^^; 


Courtesy   of  the  Red   Cross  Magazine. 

A  Motor  Kitchen  In  France 


People  with  imagination  will  see  in  this  sketch    the    possibilities    of    a    motor    kitchen    in    peace 
times.     Camping  out,  for  the  mass  of  people,  would   become   a   comparativelj'   simple   matter  with 

a    fleet    of    motor    kitchens. 


valescent  soldiers  from  the  American  Expedi- 
tionary Force  were  returned  to  this  country 
on  a  duty  status  as  a  convalescent  detachment. 
These  men  were  sent  to  demobilization  camps 
nearest  their  homes.  In  these  camps  convales- 
cent centers  were  established,  and  the  final 
hardening  and  cure  was  obtained  by  the  ap- 
plication of  curative  work,  military  drill,  and 
setting-up  exercises,  gymnastics,  and  recrea- 
tional play  under  the  advisory  supervision  of 
the  Division  of  Physical  Reconstruction.  The 
number  of  convalescent  soldiers  so  trained  and 
educated  in  the  convalescent  centers  from  the 
signing  of  the  armistice  to  April,  1919,  was 
45,747- 

DIVISION  OF   MEDICINE 

The  Division  of  Medicine  consisted  of  four 
sections:  Psychology,  Neuro-psychiatry  (ner- 
vous and  mental  diseases).  Tuberculosis  and 
Internal  Medicine  (all  diseases  not  included 
in  the  above). 

The  function  of  the  Section  of  Psychology 
was  twofold :  First,  to  determine  the  mental 
capacity  of  the  individual ;  second,  to  classify 
men  so  that,  as  far  as  practicable,  an  individ- 
ual's  previous   training   and   mental   develop- 


ment would  be  given  due  consideration  when 
the  specific  assignment  in  the  army  was  made. 

It  was  obvious  that  the  above  work  had 
to  be  carried  out  almost  exclusively  in  mobil- 
ization camps  to  be  effective.  Prior  to  the 
beginning  of  the  war,  recent  developments 
in  the  field  of  psychology  suggested  that  men 
might  be  given  examinations  in  groups  of  lOO 
to  500,  the  results  of  which  would  enable  the 
psychological  examiner  to  measure,  fairly  ac- 
curately, the  mental  caliber  of  the  individual. 
This  view  was  confirmed  by  thousands  of 
examinations  made  during  the  war.  How- 
ever, all  border-line  cases,  and  those  showing 
mental  development  below  ten  years  of  age, 
were  turned  over  to  the  neuro-psychiatrist 
(specialist  on  nervous  diseases)  for  further 
examination  to  determine  w'hether  the  defect 
was  due  to  imperfect  development  or  to  a  dis- 
eased condition  of  the  brain.  The  doctor  was 
also  held  responsible  for  the  final  decision  as 
to  whether  the  man  was  to  be  rejected  or 
accepted. 

Every  soldier  in  the  army  had  a  card  made 
out  showing  his  previous  experience  and  train- 
ing as  to  trade,  occupation,  etc.  On  these 
cards  were   attached    colored    tags   signifying 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


217 


An  American  War  Nursery  for  Homeless  French  Children 


the  man's  qualifications.  For  example,  a  blue 
tag  might  indicate  that  he  was  an  experienced 
chauffeur;  a  red  tag,  a  carpenter;  a  green 
tag,  an  electrician,  etc.  This  system  enabled 
the  personnel  officer  to  tell  at  a  glance  the 
qualifications  of  the  men  in  his  company  or 
detachment.  Most  of  the  above  work  was 
done  for  the  company  commanders  and  per- 
sonnel adjutants  by  the  camp  psychologist. 
Duplicates  of  these  cards  were  sent  to  the 
office  of  the  Adjutant  General  in  Washing- 
ton, so  that  whenever  a  call  came  from  over- 
seas for  a  definite  number  of  chauffeurs,  or 
electricians,  or  what  not,  the  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral had  only  to  refer  to  these  cards  to  find 
out  where  the  men  with  the  desired  qualifi- 
cations could  be  obtained.  Many  of  the  men 
thus  classified  had  been  highly  trained,  and 
could  be  assigned  at  once  to  work  requiring 
particular  skill  and  experience. 

The  activities  of  the  other  sections  of  the 
Division  of  Medicine  were  concerned  with 
two  functions:  First,  physical  examination  of 
men  sent  to  the  mobilization  camps  and  the 
final  physical  examination  upon  demobiliza- 
tion in  so  far  as  medical  conditions  were  con- 
cerned ;  second,  care  and  treatment  of  sick  in 
the  service. 


SPECIALIZING 

The  Medical  Department  convened  special 
boards,  consisting  of  experts  in  their  respective 
branches,  at  mobilization  camps  for  the  more 
complete  examination  of  all  soldiers  who  had 
passed  the  preliminary  physical  examination. 
The  members  of  these  Special  Boards  were 
represented  by  specialists  in  tuberculosis,  dis- 
eases of  the  heart  and  arteries,  and  nervous 
and  mental  diseases.  Nearly  60,000  men  were 
rejected  on  account  of  defective  development 
or  diseases  of  the  nervous  system ;  nearly  80,- 
000  men  were  rejected  on  account  of  various 
forms  of  tuberculosis,  and  about  50,000  men 
were  rejected  on  account  of  diseases  of  the 
heart  and  arteries. 

The  second  function  referred  to  above,  the 
care  of  the  sick,  was  handled  by  the  estab- 
lishment in  every  important  hospital  of  med- 
ical services,  presided  over  by  experienced 
physicians  who  were  not  only  expert  in  diag- 
nosis and  treatment,  but  were  also  adminis- 
trators capable  of  organizing  and  supervising 
the  extensive  services  which,  during  epidem- 
ics, tax  the  abilities  of  the  most  able  men,  and 
equal  in   difficulty  the  problems  encountered 


2l8 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


by  the  surgical  staffs  at  hospitals  near  the 
front. 

In  addition  to  the  care  and  treatment  given 
patients  in  the  hospitals  at  the  mobilization 
camps,  a  number  of  special  hospitals  were  es- 
tablished at  various  places  in  the  country  for 
the  treatment  of  certain  diseases  or  groups 
of  diseases.  These  hospitals  were  manned  by 
the  ablest  men  in  the  profession  and  experts 
in  their  respective  spheres.  The  Tubercu- 
losis Section,  for  example,  maintained  hospi- 
tals for  the  care  and  treatment  of  soldiers  who 
developed  tuberculosis,  at  Asheville,  N.  C. ; 
Denver,  Colo. ;  Fort  Bayard,  N.  M. ;  Pres- 
cott,  Ariz. ;  Catskill  Mountains,  N.  Y.,  and 
new  Haven,  Conn. ;  at  these  places  the  best  of 
care  was  offered  the  patients. 

At  Lakewood,  N.  J.,  a  special  hospital  was 
established  in  a  well-known  hotel,  where  men 
with  diseases  of  the  heart,  arteries,  kidneys  and 
various  types  of  rheumatism  were  received.  In 
these  hospitals  patients  were  not  only  given 
the  best  possible  care  and  attention,  but  in 
many  of  them  much  important  work  was 
done,  quite  a  little  of  it  original  work,  some 


of  which  will  result  in  advancement  in  the 
science  of  medicine. 

Kenilworth  Inn.,  Biltmore,  N.  C,  was 
made  into  a  hospital  where  gassed  soldiers  and 
diseases  of  the  lungs,  other  than  tuberculosis, 
were  treated.  The  moderate  altitude  and 
well-known  climatic  qualities  of  Biltmore 
were  particularly  conducive  to  the  cure  of 
these  cases. 

The  barracks  at  Plattsburg,  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  N.  Y.,  were  improved  so  that  the  entire 
Post  could  be  suitably  used  as  a  hospital. 
Many  of  our  cases  of  shell  shock  and  ner- 
vous prostration  were  collected  here,  and  their 
treatment  carried  out  under  the  supervision 
of  specialists  in  a  quiet,  placid  atmosphere  and 
environment  so  desirable  in  the  successful 
treatment  of  these  unfortunate  individuals. 

It  was  the  duty  of  the  Medical  Department 
to  care  for  soldiers  who  incurred  sickness  or 
disability  incident  to  the  service,  until  they 
were  cured,  or  the  maximum  amount  of  im- 
provement had  been  attained.  Finally,  on 
discharge  from  the  service  a  careful  physical 
examination  was  made  of  each  soldier  in  order 


First  Aid  Station 

American  wounded  being  carried  in  by   Boche  prisoners  early  in  the  Argonne  offensive. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


219 


to  determine  whether  any  disability  existed  at 
the  date  of  separation  from  the  army,  and,  if 
so,  to  estimate  the  degree  and  make  it  of 
record  so  that  future  claims  and  rights  of 
the  individual  could  be  adjudicated  with  jus- 
tice to  the  soldier  and  the  government.  This 
division  provided  the  special  personnel  for  the 
medical  portion  of  this  examination.  Special- 
ists in  all  lines  cooperated  in  .this  final  exam- 
ination. 

EMINENT  SURGEONS  HELP  THE  MEDICAL  SERV- 
ICE   TO    ESTABLISH    BASE    HOSPITALS 

When  the  United  States  entered  the  war, 
April,  191 7,  the  Medical  Department  was 
on  a  scale  commensurate  with  the  small  mili- 
tary establishment.  Coincident  with  the  for- 
mation of  the  machinery  for  raising  and  or- 
ganizing a  large  army,  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment had  to  keep  step  or  even  antedate  the 
expansion  of  the  great  force.  Observation  of 
the  casualties  during  the  previous  years  haJ 
given  a  pretty  fair  idea  of  the  nature  of  the 
injuries.  It  was  realized  that  the  purely  sur- 
gical aspects  would  constitute  a  most  impor- 


tant part  of  the  work  of  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment. 

In  a  short  time  the  Surgeon  General  ap- 
pointed a  number  of  surgeons  eminent  in  the 
civil  professions  who  were  to  act  in  an  advisory 
and  executive  capacity.  Three  distinct  lines 
of  effort  at  once  opened  up.  First,  as  the 
concentration  camps  were  established  and 
opened  for  the  training  of  troops,  the  estab- 
lishment of  base  hospitals  in  connection  there- 
with necessitated  the  organization  of  a  surgi- 
cal personnel  to  look  after  the  ordinary  surgi- 
cal ills  of  a  large  camp.  When  many  thou- 
sands of  men  are  congregated  together  there 
will  be  the  same  surgical  diseases  as  are  ex- 
perienced in  civilian  life.  Through  the  efforts 
of  the  Red  Cross  fifty  base  hospitals  and"  a 
few  otiier  hospital  units  had  been  raised  and 
equipped  from  the  great  medical  centers  and 
some  other  places.  Some  of  the  best  of  the 
surgical  profession  were  included  in  these 
groups.  It  was  evident  that  many  more  units 
would  be  needed,  and  it  was  the  second  task 
of  the  Surgical  Division  to  arrange  for  the 
organization  of  the  surgical  side  of  these  units. 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 


A  Surgical  Dressing  Warehouse 

The  wounded  soldier  hastily  sent  to  the  base  hospital  little  dreamed  of  the  methodical  organiza- 
tion that  stood  behind  every  ounce  of  relief  accorded  him. 


220 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Thirdly,  many  of  the  most  important  surgical 
instruments,  needles,  etc.,  had  previously  been 
imported  from  England  and  Germany.  There 
was  no  standardization  in  civil  life,  the  sur- 
geon using  that  which  by  experience  or  fancy 
had  seemed  to  him  the  best.  The  committee 
of  surgeons  met  and  standardized  these  in- 
struments, so  that  the  equipment  of  every  base 
hospital,  or  of  every  hospital  unit  sent  abroad, 
would  be  identical,  thus  assuring  an  ample 
supply  of  the  most  modern  and  efficient  types. 

A\    URGENT   CALL    FOR   SURGEONS 

The  rotating  consulting  surgeons  working 
with  the  Surgeon  General  could  not  know 
more  than  a  few  of  the  experienced  surgeons 
of  the  country,  or  the  active,  promising  young 
men  of  the  profession ;  consequently  a  scheme 
was  devised  whereby  the  qualifications  of 
every    civil    surgeon    were    placed    on    cards, 


which  were  sorted  and  resorted  until  the  rela- 
tive standing  of  each  man  was  known.  Addi- 
tional information  with  regard  to  the  qualifi- 
cations of  surgeons  was  secured  in  many  ways, 
one  of  the  most  important  being  the  local 
organizations  of  the  Medical  Section  of  the 
Council  of  National  Defense. 

As  a  result  of  the  study  of  these  qualifica- 
tion-cards, it  was  found  that  ^he  actual  num- 
ber of  physicians  capable  of  doing  the  special 
work  required  by  reason  of  the  casualties  of 
war  was  limited.  Accordingly,  schools  of  in- 
struction were  established  in  general  surgery, 
including  fractures,  in  neurologic  surgery,  in 
plastic  and  oral  surgery,  in  orthopedic  sur- 
gery, etc.  These  schools  were  located  in  well- 
known  centers:  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Chi- 
cago, Rochester,  Minn. ;  San  Francisco  and 
New  Orleans ;  and  were  under  the  charge 
of  experienced  surgeons  and  teachers.  The 
successful    method    of    Carrel    at    Compiegne 


'  ©     Underzaood  and  Underwood. 

Interior  of  a  German  Hospital  Train 

Showing  the  operating  car.     These  trains  were   fully  equipped  and  included  every  appliance  known 

to    modern    surgery. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


221 


was  established  at  the  hospital  of  the  Rocke- 
feller Institute,  and  a  continual  stream  of 
medical  officers  passed  through  this  institution 
studying  this  method  of  treatment. 

By  November,  igiy,  the  work  of  organiz- 
ing base  and  evacuation  hospitals  was  well 
under  way  and  a  little  later  the  organization 
of  mobile  units  was  begun.  From  then  on 
until  the  armistice,  one  hospital  after  another, 
unit  after  unit,  was  organized,  mobilized, 
equipped  and  sent  abroad.  This  necessitated 
a  constant  shifting  of  the  surgical  personnel 
of  the  camp  and  cantonment  hospitals,  and  it 
was  found  necessary  gradually  to  work  into 
places  on  the  permanent  staff  the  older  and 
less  active,  but  nevertheless  competent,  sur- 
geons, in  order  to  set  free  the  younger  and 
more  active  ones  for  overseas  service. 

One  of  the  most  important  adjuncts  in 
war  surgery  is  the  X-ray;  absolute  depen- 
dence must  be  placed  upon  it  in  the  localiza- 
tion of  foreign  bodies ;  and  every  soldier  show- 


ing any  sort  of  wound  is  examined  to  deter- 
mine whether  or  not  there  might  lie  in  its 
depths  a  bullet,  a  piece  of  shell,  a  fragment 
of  shrapnel,  or  any  other  foreign  body.  Many 
hundreds  of  complete  X-ray  equipments  were 
purchased  and  supplied  to  the  troops  over- 
seas and  all  the  military  hospitals  in  this  coun- 
try were  completely  equipped  with  everything 
that  could  be  desired  for  X-ray  w-ork.  One 
of  the  most  important  developments  of  the 
was  is  a  portable  X-ray  apparatus,  which  was 
to  be  found  scattered  over  the  front  wherever 
needed. 

A  literary  program  w^as  an  important  part 
of  the  surgical  organization.  Special  books 
were  written  w-ith  wonderful  speed;  the  ex- 
perience of  French,  English  and  even  German 
surgeons  was  collected  and  abstracted  and  dis- 
tributed to  our  medical  officers ;  a  review  of 
the  war  literature  was  issued  monthly.  Lan- 
tern slides  and  moving  picture  films  were 
made  and  used  for  instruction.     Finally,  dur- 


Surgical  Dressing  Department 

A  busy  section  of  the  American  Fund  for  French  Wounded. 


©     IVyndham,  Paris. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     Underwood  and  Underwood 

A  Useful  Member  of  the  "Army  of  Mercy" 


ing  the  summer  of  191 8,  a  large  surgical  school 
was  established  as  a  branch  of  the  Medical 
Officers'  Training  Camp,  at  Fort  Oglethorpe, 
Georgia,  a  faculty  formed,  a  sj^stematic  course 
of  instruction  begun  and  carried  on  to  the 
time  of  the  armistice. 

REBUILDING    THE    BODIES    OF    HEROES 

Although  the  work  of  organizing  and  equip- 
ping surgical  units  for  service  abroad  was 
preeminent  in  the  scheme  of  organization, 
home  affairs  were  not  neglected.  The  enor- 
mous number  of  men  located  in  camps  in  this 
country  required  a  large  force  of  skilled  sur- 
geons and  assistants,  and  by  July,  19 18,  a 
complete  survey  of  the  character  of  the  surgi- 
cal work  was  made,  and  a  system  established 
by  which  it  was  possible  in  Washington  to 
check  over  all  operations  and  determine  if 
the  highest  class  of  work  was  being  done. 
When  the  pneumonia  epidemic  of  the  winter 
of  191 7-18  swept  the  camps,  it  was  followed 
by  a  wake  of  empyema  (abscess  in  the  chest) 
^\hich,  owing  to  its  severity  and  unusual  na- 
ture, temporarily  baffled  the  surgeons.  An 
Empjema  Commission  was  appointed  which 
went  from  camp  to  camp  studying  the  sur- 
gical aspects  of  this  disease,  and  through  its 
suggestions  and  directions  much  good  was 
done.      After    the    armistice   was   signed    the 


reconstruction  era  began,  and  it  now  became 
the  duty  of  the  Division  of  Surgery  to  prepare 
for  the  care  of  the  stream  of  wounded  return- 
ing from  the  overseas  hospitals.     These  were 
classified  in  certain  large  groups  of  which  com- 
pound fractures,  peripheral  nerve  injuries,  stiff 
joints  and   amputations  constituted   the  most 
important.     With  some  fifty  hospitals  receiv- 
ing patients,  and  with  the  personnel  thereof 
everywhere   greatly   depleted  of  specialists   in 
order   to   supply  the  services   abroad,    it  was 
soon  realized  it  would  be  necessary  to  concen- 
trate the  injuries  most  difficult  of  treatment 
into  special  hospitals  where  a  sufficient  person- 
nel and  equipment  could  be  gathered  to  meet 
the   various    indications    of   treatment.      This 
was  particularly  true  of  the  peripheral  nerve 
injuries.      Centers    were    also    established    to 
which    cases   of    amputations   were   sent    and 
preparations  made  for  the  application  of  pro- 
visional limbs  during  the  long  period  in  which 
such   cases  must  wait   for  the  application   of 
permanent    limbs.      The    matter    of    artificial 
limbs  was  thoroughly  investigated  and  a  stand- 
ard   provisional    and    a    standard    permanent 
limb  adopted  and  given  to  the  soldiers. 

One  of  the  most  difficult  tasks  which  the 
Surgical  Division  had  to  face  was  the  dis- 
memberment of  its  scheme  of  organization, 
the  "unscrambling  of  the  eggs,"  as  it  were, 
following  the  armistice.  Personnel  had  to  be 
reduced  and  certain  hospitals  closed  up. 
Great  credit  is  due  those  surgeons  who,  long 
after  the  excitement  of  actual  war  time  had 
passed,  worked  on,  looking  after  the  need  of 
the  wounded  soldier  when  many  of  their  fel- 
lows were  rapidly  returning  to  their  ordinary 
vocations. 

MEDICAL    SUPPLIES 
THE   HUGE  QUANTITIES  NEEDED 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with  Germany, 
the  Medical  Department  had  its  need  for 
supplies  computed  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
permit  its  ready  adaptation  to  any  size  army 
it  might  be  called  upon  to  equip.  In  coopera- 
tion with  the  Medical  Section  of  the  Council 
of  National  Defense,  it  held  conferences  with 
representative  committees  of  manufacturers 
of  surgical  instruments,  pharmaceuticals,  lab- 
oratory supplies,  surgical  dressings,  hospital 
equipment,  etc.,  and  succeeded  in  getting  these 
industries  lined  up  for  full,  complete,  and  en- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


223 


thusiastic  support  of  the  Medical  Depart- 
ments of  the  Army  and  Navy.  New  sources 
of  supply  were  developed  as  rapidly  as  it  be- 
came evident  that  existing  sources  would 
prove  inadequate.  Negotiations  for  supplies 
were  rapidly  carried  forward,  and  the  manu- 
facture of  needed  articles  promptly  begun. 
Fortunately  for  the  Medical  Department,  a 
large  part  of  the  supplies  it  required  were 
available  for  spot  purchase,  the  majority  of 
its  standards  being  uniform  with  commercial 
articles  and  sizes  in  common  use.  New  sup- 
ply depots  were  established  at  Atlanta  and 
Philadelphia,  and  the  capacity  of  the  existing 
depots  at  New  York,  Washington,  St.  Louis, 
San  Antonio  and  San  Francisco  greatly  in- 
creased. 

The  equipment  needed  for  each  individual 
camp  was  carefully  computed  and  the  supplies 
ordered  shipped  considerably  in  advance  of 
the  day  .the  first  troops  were  scheduled  to  ar- 
rive. Unit  equipment  was  devised  for  base 
hospitals,  camp  infirmaries,  and  the  various 
other  organizations.  The  personnel  charged 
with  the  procurement  and  distribution  of  sup- 
plies, which  consisted  of  approximately  eleven 
officers  and  200  employees  prior  to  the  out- 
break of  the  war,  was  rapidly  expanded.  A 
large  number  of  senior  non-commissioned  offi- 
cers of  the  Medical  Department  were  commis- 
sioned in  the  Sanitary  Corps  to  act  as  supply 
officers  at  the  various  camps  and  depots. 

Sufficient  equipment  for  the  establishment 
of  a  base  hospital  of  500  beds  was  sent  to 
every  camp  before  the  arrival  of  troops,  and 
ambulances  were  also  provided  for  the  trans- 
portation of  the  sick.  By  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember, 191 7,  at  least  fourteen  standard  am- 
bulances had  been  delivered  to  every  camp. 
In  one  instance,  at  the  establishment  of  a 
large  hospital  at  Newport  News,  the  first  car- 
load of  supplies  for  the  hospital  actually  ar- 
rived six  daj's  after  the  request  for  the  equip- 
ment had  been  'phoned  in  to  the  Surgeon  Gen- 
eral's Office.  Materials  to  increase  the  ca- 
pacity of  the  hospitals  were  supplied  as  the 
need  of  the  camp  indicated. 

WOUND-DRESSING 

Great  quantities  of  surgical  dressings  were 
purchased.  The  quantity  reached  such  mag- 
nitude by  the  end  of  March,   1918,  that  the 


^      UndcrZiOod  and   Undci'n'ood. 

Caring  for  the  Soldier's  Teeth 

Dental    Department    of    the    Base    Hospital    at 
Camp  Meade. 

thread  which  entered  into  the  weaving  of  the 
gauze  actually  furnished,  if  tied  into  one 
string,  would  have  reached  from  the  earth 
to  the  sun.  Surgical  and  dental  instruments 
were  the  most  difficult  of  all  the  equipment 
to  obtain.  In  pre-war  times,  only  about  10 
per  cent,  of  the  domestic  requirement  for  sur- 
gical instruments  were  produced  in  the  United 
States;  the  rest  being  imported,  largely  from 
Germany.  As  a  result  of  the  hearty  and  loyal 
cooperation  of  the  manufacturers,  the  develop- 
ment of  an  adequate  supply  of  all  types  of 
surgical  instruments  and  dental  equipment 
was  a  signal  success.  At  the  signing  of  the 
armistice  there  was  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
these  supplies  in  France  to  have  taken  care 
of  an  army  of  2,000,000  men  for  more  than 
six  months.  At  no  time  and  at  no  place  did 
a  shortage  of  supplies  exist  to  any  extent,  and 
after    the   first  of   August,    191 8,   there   was 


224 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     lyyndham,   Paris. 


Luresnes,  the  American  Cemetery  near  Paris 


Here  were  interred  the  remains  of  severely  wounded  soldiers  who  did  not  survive  operation.  Their 

graves,  as  the  photograph  shows,  were  tenderly  cared  for. 


never  any  question  in  the  overseas  forces  that 
there  would  be  a  sufficient  quantity  available 
for  all  their  needs. 

At  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  the  Medi- 
cal Department  had  in  sight  sufficient  supplies 
and  equipment  for  700,000  hospital  beds,  with 
300,000  cots  in  reserve  in  case  of  crisis  expan- 
sion. 

The  designs  of  ambulances  were  perfected 
and  approximately  2,700  of  the  Ford  t>pe  and 
3,600  of  the  large  G.  M.  C.  type  were  de- 
livered. As  showing  what  such  a  number  of 
ambulances  might  accomplish,  it  may  be  said 
that  one  Evacuation  Ambulance  Company 
alone,  with  twelve  machines,  reported  the  evac- 
uation of  55,000  patients,  and  credited  each 
machine  with  a  mileage  of  25,000  miles,  dur- 
ing the  period  from  July  17,  19 18,  until  it 
ceased  to  function  after  the  armistice. 

X-ray  equipment  likewise  was  perfected  and 


standardized,  and  gave  exceptional  satisfaction 
wherever  used. 

The  laboratory  equipment  of  our  Medical 
Department  was  the  most  complete  and  elabo- 
rate supplied  to  any  of  the  Allied  armies. 
Biological  products  were  furnished  in  enor- 
mous quantities.  Not  only  was  enough  anti- 
typhoid vaccine  furnished  to  vaccinate  an 
army  twice  the  size  of  the  total  number  of 
troops  called  to  the  colors,  but  thousands  of 
liters  of  anti-meningitis  serum,  anti-pneumo- 
coccic  serum,  anti-dysenteric  serum,  anti- 
tetanus serum,  and  diphtheria  antitoxin  were 
furnished  at  home  and  abroad.  Every  branch 
of  industry  contributed  its  part,  and  in  suffi- 
cient quantity  so  that  no  one  lacked  proper 
medical  supplies. 

The  Library  Division  had  to  do  with  the 
administration  of  the  Library  of  the  Surgeon 
General,    which    was    characterized    as    "the 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY                                             225 

great  central  medical  library  of  the  nation."  i^iedical  officers'  training  camp  division 
It  consisted  of  over  one-half  million  books  and 

pamphlets,  catalogued  and  arranged  for  ready  It  early  became   apparent  that  schools  for 

reference    by    medical    officers    of    the    army,  the  training  of  civilian  physicians  in  their  du- 

scientific  investigators,  students  and  graduates  ties  as  medical  officers  were  essential   if   the 

of    institutions    of    learning    throug'hout    the  best    results    were    to    be    obtained.      Conse- 

country.  quently,  on  June  I,  191 7,  training  camps  for 

The  Air  Service  Division  was  maintained  medical  officers  and  enlisted  men  of  the  Medi- 
during  the  height  of  aeronautical  activity  to  cal  Department  were  opened  at  Camp  Green- 
supervise  the  Medical  Department  activities  leaf,  Chickamauga  Park,  Georgia;  Ft.  Riley, 
pertaining  to  the  Air  Service.  It  administered  Kansas;  Ft.  Benjamin  Harrison,  Ind.,  and 
the  medical  service  at  aviation  fields  and  with  Ft.  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  In  December,  191 7, 
mobile  aviation  units,  and  established  a  cen-  the  camps  at  Ft.  Benjamin  Harrison  and  Ft. 
tral  laboratory  for  investigating  all  problems  Des  Moines  were  closed,  the  personnel  and 
regarding  the  health  and  physical  well-being  equipment  being  transferred  to  Camp  Green- 
of  the  aviator.  leaf  and  Ft.  Riley,  which  were  continued  until 

the  end  of  the  war. 

GAS  MASKS  The  purpose  of  these  camps  was  to  give  an 

intensive   course  of   training  in  military  mat- 

The  Gas   Defense  Service  was,  during  its  ters    and    in    the    application    of    the   practice 

inception    and   organization,    attached    to    the  of    medicine    and    surgery    to    military    life, 

office  of  the  Surgeon  General,  and  had  to  do  The  course  was  primarily  for  medical  officers 

with    all   defense   measures   against   poisonous  who  had   received  commissions  in   the   army, 

gases.     Its  primary  function  was  the  develop-  and   for  instruction  of  a  similar  character  to 

ment  and  manufacture  of  gas  masks  for  both  the  enlisted  personnel  of  the  Medical  Depart- 

men  and  animals.     Other  defensive  measures  ment.     Subsequently  courses  were  given  offi- 

included  fans  for  removing  gas  from  trenches,  cers  of  the  Dental,  Veterinary  and  Sanitary 

sprat's  for  the  neutralization  of  gases,  instru-  Corps. 

ments  to  detect  the  presence  of  gas,  substances  At   the   training  camp   at    Ft.    Riley,    par- 

for   application   to  goggles   of   masks   to  pre-  ticular  attention  was  given  to  training  adapted 

vent  them  from  fogging,  etc.     Ultimately  the  for  fitting  the  students  for  service  with  mobile 

functions  of  this  section  were  taken  over  by  organizations  of  the  army.     At  Camp  Green- 

the   Chemical  Warfare   Service   of   the  War  leaf,   instruction  was  given   for   duty   on   the 

Department,  which  handled  all  matters  con-  line  of  communication  in  base  and  evacuation 

nected  with  gas  warfare,  both  offensive  and  hospitals, 

defensive.  During  the  continuance  of  these  camps  ap- 

The  Food  Division  was  finally  made  a  sec-  proximately  15,000  medical  officers  and  140,- 

tion   of  the   Division   of   Sanitation,   and  the  qoo  enlisted  men  received  instruction, 

field   of   its   activities   are   shown   under   that  At  Camp  Greenleaf,  in  addition  to  instruc- 

divislon.  tion  of  a  purely  military  nature,  there  were 

The  Overseas  Division  had  charge  of  the  given   professional   courses   pertaining   to   the 

organization  of  Medical  Department  units  for  various  specialties.     These  courses  of  instruc- 

overseas   duty,    such    as   evacuation   hospitals,  tion   not  only   enabled   the  army   to    increase 

base  hospitals,  field  hospitals,  ambulance  com-  the  supply  of  specialists  for  hospitals,  but  were 

panics,  mobile  hospital  units,  hospital  trains,  of  great  benefit  to  the  civil  communities  when 

casual  companies,  etc.     It  had  nothing  to  do  these  officers  returned  to  the  practice  of  medi- 

with  the  administration  of  these  units  after  cine  at  their  homes, 
they  left  this  countr>^ 

The  Division  of  Head  Surgery  had  to  do  ^^^  veterinary  division 
with  the  surgery  of  the  head,  including  brain 

surgery,  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat  surgery  and  The   Veterinary   Corps   was  charged   with 

dentistry.     It  was  later  consolidated  with  the  the  treatment  of  sick  and  injured  animals  of 

Division  of  Surgery,  the  army;  with   the  operation   of  veterinary 


226 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


hospitals;  with  the  investigation  and  making 
of  appropriate  corrective  recommendations  of 
sanitary  conditions  touching  the  health  and 
efficiency  of  the  animals,  such  as  sanitation  of 
stables  and  other  shelter,  stable  management, 
feeds  and  feeding,  including  inspection  of  for- 
age, shoeing,  exercise,  and  fit  and  suitability  of 
equipment ;  with  the  detection  and  control  of 
communicable  diseases;  and  with  the  inspec- 
tion of  all  meats,  meat  food  products  furnished 
the  army,  and  of  dairies  and  milk  herds 
supplying  milk. 

In  the  theater  of  active  operations  the 
removal  of  disabled  animals  to  the  rear, 
thereby  relieving  combatant  organizations  of 
their  care,  was  a  further  important  function. 
All  animals  purchased  had  to  pass  a  satisfac- 
tory veterinary'  examination,  and  a  veterinary 
officer  was  assigned  to  each  of  the  many  pur- 
chasing boards  operating  all  over  the  country. 
Veterinary  officers  made  the  necessary  physi- 
cal examinations  and  accompanied  shipments 
of  animals  from  point  to  point  in  the  interior 
and  overseas  on  transports. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  Govern- 
ment possessed   in   the  United  States  83,997 


horses  and  mules,  and  subsequently  bought 
here  300,802  more,  of  which  67,940  were 
shipped  to  France  and  the  remainder  held  in 
large  remount  depots  in  the  United  States 
for  the  use  of  troops.  The  entire  veterinary 
service  of  these  depots  and  of  the  camps  was 
in  charge  of  the  Veterinary  Corps.  A  vet- 
erinary hospital  was  maintained  at  each  one 
of  these  depots  and  at  times  there  were  as 
many  as  20,000  animal  patients  disabled  and 
requiring  veterinary  attention,  greatly  exceed- 
ing the  available  hospital  space. 

For  the  service  in  France  there  were  or- 
ganized and  sent  across  twenty-one  veterinary 
hospital  units  consisting  of  seven  veterinary 
officers  and  300  enlisted  men,  each  with  a 
capacity  of  1,000  patients;  two  hospitals  ac- 
commodating 500  patients  each,  besides  nine 
evacuating  units  for  the  removal  of  the  sick 
to  the  hospitals.  A  veterinary  organization 
was  attached  to  each  division  of  troops,  func- 
tioning under  the  control  of  a  division  veteri- 
narian, and  including  besides  the  detachments 
assigned  to  mounted  organizations,  a  divi- 
sional evacuation  unit.  The  animals  in 
France   at   one    time    approximated    200,000, 


Courtesy  of   Red   Cross  Magazine. 


The  Troop  Train  in  France 

Notice  the  Red  Cross  workers  and  the  women-folk  with  children. 


VII— 15 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


227 


with  a  sick  report  of  from  15  per  cent,  to  20 
per  cent.  The  hard  service  and  the  shortage 
of  animals  with  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  resulted  in  an  excessive  wastage  which 
taxed  to  the  utmost  the  energies  of  the  veteri- 
nary personnel  in  order  that  the  available  re- 
sources should  not  be  unnecessarily  reduced. 
Mange  was  the  chief  disease  affecting  these 
animals,  and  its  control  presented  extraordi- 
nary difficulties. 

All  veterinary  personnel  lacked  adequate 
military  training,  although  efforts  were  made 
to  rush  as  many  officers  and  men  as  possible 
through  training  schools.  The  urgent  demand 
for  their  services  continually  interfered  with 
such  courses.  The  Veterinary  Corps  main- 
tained several  training  schools.  The  one  at 
Ft.  Riley,  Kansas,  for  the  training  of  en- 
listed men  was  small  and  had  a  short  life, 
only  about  600  men  passing  through  it.  The  At  Serqueux,  France,  a  veterinary  hospital  was 
Veterinary   Section   of   the   Medical    Officers'  established  by  the  Blue  Cross  Society. 


©     Underwood  and   Underwood. 

A  Horse  Wounded   In  Battle 


Training  Camp  at  Camp  Greenleaf,  Ga., 
graduated  490  officers,  after  a  course  of  two 
months.  Six  hundred  and  fifty-five  graduate 
veterinarians  belonging  to  the  enlisted  Re- 
serve Corps  were  trained  for  commissions  in 
this  school.  The  Veterinary  Training  School 
at  Camp  Lee  was  used  for  the  formation  of 


there  having  been  no  enlisted  men  in  the  Corps 
at  the  outbreak  of  hostilities.  All  commissioned 
officers  were  graduates  of  recognized  veteri- 
nary colleges,  but  familiarity  with  horses  was 
about  the  only  qualification  necessary  for  the 
enlisted  man.     Such  soldiers  had  an  excellent 


the  hospital  units  which  were  sent  to  France,  opportunity  for  training  in  animal  husbandry, 
and  393  officers  and  7,968  enlisted  men  passed  the  restraint,  care  and  treatment  of  sick  ani- 
through  it  to  the  American  Expeditionary  mals,  horseshoeing,  harness  making,  etc.  The 
Force  prior  to  the  signing  of  the  armistice.  Veterinary  Corps  was  a  part  of  the  Medical 
In  Chicago,  at  the  central  purchasing  point  Department  and  was  administered  by  a  Di- 
for  meats  and  meat  products  for  the  use  of  the  rector  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the 
entire  army,  there  was  maintained  a  course  Surgeon  General, 
of  instruction  in  meat  and  dairy  inspection 
work.  Both  officers  and  men  taking  this 
training  were  assigned  to  duty  for  the  pur- 
pose   of    making    these    inspections    at    other 


THE   SUCCESS  OF  THE   MEDICAL  DEPARTMENT 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  said  without  fear 


purchasing  points,  and  also  at  all  of  the  larger  of    contradiction    that    the    Medical    Depart- 

camps.     Every  pound  of  meat  shipped  over-  ment  of  the  U.  S.  Army  during  the  World 

seas  and  most  of  that  purchased  for  the  use  War  furnished  for  the  American  soldier,  both 

of  troops  in  this  country  received  veterinary  at  home  and  abroad,  a  greater  degree  of  sani- 

inspection.      By    November    11,    19 18,    from  tary  protection  against  disease,  and  a  higher 

fourteen  to  nineteen  million  pounds  of  meat  grade  of  medical  and  surgical  attention  than 

were  being  inspected  each  week.  has  ever  been  supplied  to  the  soldiers  of  any 

For  the  performance  of  the  various  duties  other  country   in   this   or   any  previous  war. 

devolving  upon  it,  the  Veterinary  Corps  was  Had  it  not   been   for  the  unpreventable  epi- 


very  much  expanded  and  completely  reorgan- 
ized. At  the  beginning  of  the  war  it  con- 
sisted of  sixty-two  officers,  and  when  the  ar- 
mistice was  signed  it  contained  about  2,200  of- 


demic  of  influenza,  the  success  in  maintaining 
low  sick  rates  would  have  been  truly  mar- 
velous. 

The     benefits     of    the     activities     of     the 


ficers   and   more   than   20,000   enlisted   men,      Medical  Department  were  apparent  not  only 


228 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


These  Animals,  Too,  Did  Their  Bit 


Courtesy  of  the  Red  Cross. 


Man  and  beast  alike  felt  the  sting  of  bullets  and  shrapnel.    Here  some  wounded  horses  are  being 

brought  to  the  hospital. 


in  the  preservation  of  health  and  in  the  prompt 
cure  of  the  sick  and  wounded,  but  will  be 
increasingly  evident  in  the  future  when  the 
seriously  w'ounded  again  become  happy  and 
self-supporting  citizens  as  a  result  of  the  high 
grade  surgical  and  reconstruction  service 
provided   for  this  class  of  cases. 

Credit  is  due  to  the  officers  of  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  Regular  Army  who,  in 
peace  days  of  slow  promotion  and  seemingly 
little  opportunity,  persevered  in  preparing 
themselves  for  this  great  emergency ;  equal 
credit  is  due  to  the  officers  from  civil  life,  the 
physicians,  the  dentists,  the  veterinarians,  and 
the  sanitary  engineers,  the  food  experts  and  the 
other  trained  scientists  in  the  Sanitary  Corps, 
all  of  whom  unhesitatingly  abandoned  their 
civilian  pursuits,  sacrificed  their  personal  in- 
terests and  gave  their  best  to  the  service  of 
their  country  in  the  Medical  Department, 
cheerfully  adapting  themselves  to  the  hard- 
ships and  unfamiliar  conditions  of  military 
life.     Both  groups  of  professional  men  offered 


to  the  nation  all  they  possessed,  and  many 
made  the  supreme  sacrifice  in  the  performance 
of  duty.  In  reply  to  the  call  on  the  civil 
profession,  equal  response  was  made  by  the 
young  and  by  the  old,  by  the  specialist  and 
by  the  general  practitioner.  City  and  country 
answ'ered  with  similar  enthusiasm.  In  view 
of  the  enormous  preponderance  in  the  Army 
of  physicians,  dentists  and  veterinarians  fresh 
from  civil  life  it  may  be  said,  without  any 
reflection  on  the  medical  officers  of  the  Regu- 
lar Army,  that  the  great  achievements  of  the 
IVIedical  Department  in  medicine,  in  surgery, 
in  dentistry,  in  veterinary  practice  and  in  sani- 
tation was  primarily  the  work  of  the  civil  pro- 
fession of  the  United  States,  and  was  due  to 
the  patriotism,  fidelity  and  ability  of  that 
great  body  of  practitioners. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  one  of  the  results  of 
the  World  War  will  be  the  closest  sympathy 
between  the  Medical  Corps  of  the  Army  and 
the  medical  profession  of  the  country,  resulting 
in  the  development  of  a  firm  conviction  in  the 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


229 


Playing  Santa  Claus 


Courtesy  A.  R.  C. 


Through  the  efforts  of  the  American   Red  Cross  the  children  of  France  were  supplied  with  toys 

and  games  at  Christmas. 


minds  of  all  civilian  practitioners  that  prepar- 
edness for  war  conditions  in  the  case  of  each 
and  every  physician  of  military  age  is  a  funda- 
mental necessity  for  attainment  to  the  highest 
type  of  citizenship. 

In  this  brief  review  of  the  Medical 
Department  activities  no  reference  is  made 
to  the  physicians  who,  as  members  of  Local 
and    Advisory    Boards,    participated    in    the 


operation  of  the  draft,  but  who  could  not, 
under  the  law,  be  commissioned  in  the  military 
service  of  the  Army.  Great  injustice  would 
be  done  if  attention  were  not  called  to  the 
difficult  task  which  was  so  well  and  faithfully 
performed  by  these  physicians  connected  with 
the  draft,  and  which  forms  another  of  the 
important  contributions  made  by  the  Ameri- 
can medical  profession  toward  winning  the  war. 


How  Mice  Helped  to  Win  the  War 

While  the  rat  was  being  exterminated  in  the  trenches  as  a  dangerous  pest,  his  small 
cousin  the  mouse  was  helping  to  win  the  war.  Thousands  of  mice  used  for  research  work 
were  turned  over  to  the  United  States  government  and  drafted  into  both  Army  and 
Navy.  Mice  breathe  very  rapidly,  hence  are  more  sensitive  to  gas  than  human  beings. 
The  Army  kept  mice  in  exposed  sectors  at  the  front  where  they  gave  warning  of  the 
approach  of  gas  by  their  susceptibility.  Mice  were  equally  in  demand  by  the  Medical 
Staff  for  inoculation,  being  especially  valuable  for  enabling  the  army  doctor  to  discriminate 
between  various  types  of  pneumonia.  The  mice  turned  over  to  the  Navy  were  assigned 
to  submarines,  where  there  was  continual  danger  of  chlorine  gas  formed  by  the  action 
of  salt  water  on  electric  batteries.  In  instances  the  distress  shown  by  these  mice  gave 
warning  of  the  existence  of  the  deadly  gas  long  before  it  was  perceptible  to  the  crew, 
'    thus  enabling  them  to  locate  and  repair  the  trouble  before  suffocation  resulted. 


THE  FIGHTING  MEN  OF  THE  MEDICAL  CORPS 


SURGEONS     NO     LONGER    STAY     BEHIND     THE 

LINES 

IF  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  a  man  who  is 
killed  in  battle  is  only  less  a  combatant 
because  he  does  not  himself  carry  a  gun,  then 
the  members  of  the  Medical  Corps  of  the 
American  Army  were  most  assuredly  fighting 
men. 

Once  upon  a  time  the  army  surgeon  did  his 
work  behind  the  lines  after  the  fighting  was 
over.  In  the  Great  War  he  shared  every 
peril  that  fell  to  the  lot  of  combatant  troops. 
He  knew  their  hardships;  he  died  by  shrap- 
nel and  high  explosives;  and,  in  proportion 
to  his  numbers,  he  was  cited  and  decorated 
for  bravery  as  frequently  as  officers  of  the 
line.  The  first  Americans  to  die  on  the 
battlefield  of  France  as  members  of  our  forces 
were  six  medical  officers  and  nurses  in  Allied 


hospitals  who  were  slain  by  a  German  air 
raider.  How  great  a  change  had  come  over 
the  duties  of  the  medical  service  is  clearly  set 
forth  in  a  statement  from  the  Surgeon  Gen- 
eral describing  conditions  in  the  Civil  War. 
Battle  ranges  have  increased  enormously  since 
then,  so  that  it  has  become  impossible  in  mod- 
ern warfare  to  render  efficient  aid  beyond  the 
firing  zone;  and  those  fifty  miles  behind  the 
lines  may  find  death  hovering  over  them  at 
any  moment,  for  such  was  the  case  when  the 
Germans  made  a  point  of  bombing  hospitals. 
Speaking  of  conditions  in  the  Civil  War,  this 
statement  follows : 

"Little  was  done  toward  speeding  up  the 
treatment  of  the  wounded,  except  in  a  few 
cases  that  came  to  the  attention  of  the  army 
surgeon  as  he  rode  about  the  battlefield  in 
company  with  mounted  staff  officers.  He 
would  select  a  few  of  the  less  serious  cases, 


n^k, 


Americans  Caring  For  Wounded 

(From  a  painting  by  Victor  Tardieu,  a  French  soldier  at  the  front) 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


231 


An  A.  E.  F.  Entertainment 

For  wounded   French   and   American   soldiers. 


'O     IWyndliain,   Paris. 


carry  them  to  a  favorable  place,  and  give 
treatment.  Only  in  the  latter  part  of  the  war 
were  anything  like  dressing-stations  or  field- 
hospitals  established,  and  then  only  when 
buildings  near  by  ofiered  temporary  shelter 
for  this  purpose. 

"The  wounded  were  collected  at  night  by 
both  armies,  instead  of  during  the  conflict, 
each  side  by  mutual  agreement  allowing  the 
other  to  carry  on  the  work  unmolested.  In 
the  present  world-war,  agreements  of  this 
character  were  attempted  in  its  early  phases, 
but  the  few  truces  arranged  were  broken  by 
the  Germans  and  the  Turks.  Many  medical 
officers  were  killed  by  machine-gun  and  rifle 
fire,  and  the  Red  Cross — emblem  of  mercy — 
was  proved  to  offer  no  protection  to  those 
who  wore  it. 

"An  interesting  incident  that  illustrates  the 
German  attitude  toward  the  Medical  Corps 
is  vouched  for  by  an  American  Red  Cross 
worker  who  has  just  returned  from  the  French 


front  after  several  months  of  ambulance  ser- 
vice near  first-line  trenches.  After  an  offen- 
sive stroke,  a  Red  Cross  ambulance  was  hur- 
rying a  wounded  German  officer  to  a  field 
hospital.  An  army  surgeon  was  sitting  behind 
the  wounded  man.  While  the  doctor's  atten- 
tion was  distracted,  the  German  drew  his 
revolver  and  pointed  it  at  the  surgeon's  head. 
Fortunately,  the  ambulance  driver  divined  his 
sinister  purpose,  knocked  the  weapon  from 
the  prisoner's  hand,  and  saved  the  medical 
officer's  life.  This  German  declared  that  his 
army  regarded  killing  a  medical  officer  more 
important  than  to  slay  500  infantrymen." 

THE    NEED    OF    SPEED 

It  was  obvious  that  every  moment  was 
priceless  in  giving  care  to  men  gassed  and 
wounded.  When  infection  was  almost  cer- 
tain, the  disabled  man's  chances  for  recovery 
were  directly  related  to  the  speed  with  which 


232 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


(t*)     Undcru'oo'd  and   Underivood. 


French  Soldiers  and  a  Wounded  British  Tommy 

They  are  carrying  him  to  a  dressing  station. 


his  wounds  could  "be  cleaned.  As  a  result, 
field  dressing  stations  were  established  close 
to  the  front-line  trenches,  and  medical  offi- 
cers not  only  manned  these,  but  went  "over 
the  top"  with  the  troops,  as  described  in  the 
previously  quoted  statement  from  the  office 
of  the  Surgeon  General: 

"As  soon  as  the  advancing  infantry  has  made 
its  way  across  the  battlefield  in  the  face  of 
terrific  gun-fire,  the  support  troops  are  sent 
out  of  the  trenches.  With  them  go  the 
medical  officers,  wearing  steel  helmets  for  pro- 
tection against  shrapnel.  Accompanying  them 
on  their  errand  of  mercy  are  the  stretcher- 
bearers  and  other  enlisted  men  of  the  Med- 
ical Corps. 

"Theirs  is  no  easy  task.  They  must  advance 
under  the  same  hail  of  shells  that  greets  the 
men  of  the  line,  traverse  the  same  ground, 
often  waist-deep  in  mud,  cross  deep  shell- 
craters,  and  struggle  through  the  same  bar- 
riers of  barbed-wire  entanglements.  Heedless 
of  exploding  mines  and  dense  waves  of  poison 


gas,  they  must  direct  first-aid  treatment  and 
the  transportation  of  wounded  men. 

"After  the  battle  the  line  troops  may  rest. 
Not  so  the  medical  officer.  He  must  con- 
tinue to  work  on  the  bleeding  and  broken 
stream  of  humanity  which  pours  into  the 
casualty  clearing-station.  When  all  have 
been  cared  for,  he  may  seek  well-earned 
repose." 

Recogmzing  the  necessity  of  physical  and 
military  training  for  the  medical  officer,  that 
he  may  learn  to  direct  the  transportation  of 
wounded,  and  realizing  the  need  of  stamina 
that  he  may  be  able  to  stand  the  fatigue  of 
long  hours,  three  Medical  Officers'  Training 
Camps  were  established,  at  Fort  Benjamin 
Harrison,  Indianapolis ;  Fort  Riley,  Kansas, 
and  Fort  Oglethorpe,  Georgia,  by  direction 
of  Surgeon  General  of  the  Army  William  C. 
Gorgas,  conqueror  of  disease  in  Cuba  and 
Panama,  and  the  greatest  sanitarian  of  all 
time.  From  these  camps  have  been  graduated 
many  thousand  officers  and  men,  all  of  whom 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


233 


have  had  physical  and  military  training  which 
will  fit  them  to  bear  the  same  hardships  as 
the  men  of  the  line. 

There  is  no  place  at  the  front  for  the 
medical  weakling.  The  army  surgeon  has 
always  been  given  the  duty  of  relieving  suf- 
fering, conserving,  reclaiming,  and  rebuilding 
human  life  wrecked  by  the  ravages  of  war- 
fare,  and   has   always   been    considered   as   a 


ministering  agency  who  worked  in  safe  places 
behind  the  lines  after  the  fighting  had  ceased. 
Our  army  surgeons  in  the  Great  War 
were  not  "ministering  agencies  to  work  in 
safe  places  behind  the  lines  after  the  fighting 
had  ceased."  They  were  brave  men  among 
brave  men,  who  took  every  risk  of  the  soldier, 
and  died  like  heroes  without  the  soldier's 
opportunity  for   retaliation   upon   the   enemy. 


UNCLE  SAM  AND  HIS  WOUNDED  NEPHEW 

How  Medical  Skill  and  Care  Make  Men  Whole  A^ain 


THE  medical  care  given  our  soldiers, 
sailors  and  marines  throughout  the  war 
was,  in  all  probability,  better  than  any  that 
would  have  been  available  to  them  under 
other  circumstances.  The  flower  of  the  medi- 
cal profession  gave  itself  to  this  branch  of 
the  service,  with  the  result  that  the  record 
of  sickness  among  our  troops  has  never  been 
equaled,  whereas  the  treatment  and  cure  of 
wounds  resulting  from  modern  warfare 
reached  a  point  bordering  upon  the  miracu- 
lous. 

When  a  man  loses  an  arm,  science  can 
supply  him  with  an  artificial  arm  that  will, 
to  an  amazing  degree,  take  its  place.  But, 
and  this  is  the  more  important  part,  that 
man's  mind  undergoes  an  immediate  change. 
He  feels  that  he  is  a  cripple ;  that  he  is  out 
of  the  race.  The  restoration  of  his  self- 
confidence  is  of  vital  importance  if  he  is  to 
be  restored  to  a  useful  life  and  prevented  from 
becoming  a  charge  on  the  community. 

In  base  hospitals  during  the  war  the  thing 
that  was  most  carefully  watched  for  in  every 
seriously  wounded  man  was  collapse.  The 
men  reached  these  hospitals  often  a  day  or 
two  after  they  had  been  wounded.  They  had 
been  exposed  to  the  cold  and  mud  of  the 
battlefield.  They  had  been  jolted  and 
bumped,  and  they  were  literally  "tired  to 
death."  Most  of  all  they  wanted  sleep. 
Twenty-four  hours  made  a  prodigious  dif- 
ference, mentally  and  physically,  and  it  has 
been  on  this  God-given  resilience  and  powerj 
to  "come  back"  that  the  doctors  built  for  the 


complete  recovery  of  the  wounded   man,   in 
his  mind  and  his  body. 

RECUPERATIVE    POWER 

Philip  Gibbs  speaks  of  this  recuperative 
power  in  one  of  his  articles  after  he  has 
described  the  utter  exhaustion  of  soldiers  re- 
turned from  a  prolonged  engagement.  A  few 
days'  rest,  and,  he  says,  "Upon  my  faith  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  believe  they  were 
the  same  warriors  as  they  stood  about  in  the 
evening  sunshine,  like  men  on  a  village  green 
taking  their  ease  in  times  of  peace.  Their 
kilts  were  stained,  but  they  had  washed  off 
the  dirt  of  battle,  shaved,  cleaned  their  steel 
hats,  and  the  tiredness  had  gone  out  of  their 
eyes  and  youth  had  come  back  to  them." 

The  wounded,  and  more  particularly  those 
wounded  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  permanently 
maimed,  showed  this  same  power  to  an  almost 
equal  degree.  They  pulled  through  when  it 
seemed  impossible  they  could  do  so,  and  it  is 
on  these  men  that  Uncle  Sam,  aided  by  the 
skill  and  care  of  the  medical  profession  of 
America,  has  worked  wonders  in  restoring 
them  to  health,  contentment  and  usefulness. 

THE   ACTUAL    TREATMENT 

First  came  the  actual  treatment  of  the 
injured  member,  whether  by  X-ray,  or  elec- 
tricit}',  or  the  baking  of  stiff  joints,  or  any 
one  of  a  score  of  highly  specialized  measures. 
After  this  began  a  course  of  simple  exercises 


234 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Brown   Bros. 

Eating  With  Artificial  Hands 

The  war  cripple  found  that  science  had  come  most  unexpectedly  to  his  aid.     One  of  the  wonders 
of  the  war  was  the  success  with  which  a  soldier's  amputated  hand,  arm  or  leg  was  replaced  by  an 
artificial   one,   and  he  was   taught  how  to   earn  his  living  in  spite  of  his  handicap. 


and  physical  training,  until  the  patient  grad- 
uated to  more  intricate  movements.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  was  taught  to  plaj'  games,  and 
finally  came  the  course  of  industrial  training 
that  would  enable  him  again  to  take  his  place 
in  the  country  he  had  so  ably  defended. 

The  difficulties  of  this  process  of  restora- 
tion were  many.  That  they  have  been  suc- 
cessfully overcome  is  due  in  almost  equal 
parts  to  present-day  medical  skill  and  to  the 
recognition  of  the  mental  needs  of  the 
wounded  man.  The  great  wars  of  the  past 
without  exception  produced  armies  of  cripples 
who,  because  they  were  permitted  to  lose 
courage  and  to  feel  that  there  w'as  nothing 
left  for  tliem,  degenerated  often  to  actual 
vagabondage.  Our  own  Civil  War  was  fol- 
lowed L.y  a  horde  of  tramps  who  wandered 
all  over  the  United  States.  These  were  men 
who  had  "lost  their  nerve,"  either  because  of 
shell-shock  or  because  of  wounds  that  in- 
capacitated them.  The  surgery  of  that  day 
was  at  best  crude,  and  a  man,  having  been 


patched  up,  was  given  a  small  pension  and 
the  government  ceased  to  worry  about  him. 
That  he  very  probably  became  a  tramp, 
through  no  fault  of  his  own,  w^as  no  one's 
concern. 

We  have  learned  much  since  that  time,  and 
Uncle  Sam  is  no  longer  turning  cripples  out 
of  his  army  to  sink  into  a  discouraged  use- 
lessness.  In  the  hospital  where  he  was  treated 
the  wounded  soldier  found  cheerfulness  and 
hope  and  a  definite  stimulus  toward  personal 
effort.  He  was  made  to  feel  his  ability  to  rise 
above  his  new  handicap.  The  duty  of  Amer- 
ica to  the  war  cripple  did  not  end  when  his 
wounds  were  healed  and  when  he  had  been 
fitted  with  an  artificial  limb.  His  ambition 
was  aroused ;  he  was  taught  a  new  occupa- 
tion, or  retaught  his  old  one. 

The  surgical  side  of  the  treatment  of  the 
wounded  advanced  very  greatly  during  the 
war.  The  Inter-Allied  Institute  for  the  Re- 
construction and  Reeducation  of  the  Dis- 
abled  Combatant   was,  established   in   France 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


235 


©     Underwood  and  Underwood. 


French  Soldier  With  Both  Arms  Off  Below  the  Elbow  Doing  Farm  Work 

The  mechanical   arms  have  been   specially  designed  for  work  on  the  farm.     This  man,  who  in 
former  years  might  have  been  fated  to  a  life  of  inactivity,    perhaps    even    to    begging   on    the    street 
corner,  is  once  more  fully  equipped   for  a  man's  work  at  a  man's  wage. 


shortly  after  we  entered  the  war,  and  through  ble   was    an    every-day   accomplishment,    and 

this  Institute  the  experience  and  progress  of  wounds   that,    even   at   the   beginning   of   the 

all    the   Allied    nations   were   pooled    for   the  war,  would  have  spelled  amputation  or  death, 

benefit   of  each.      Patching   the   human   body  were  completely  healed.    Artificial  limbs  were 

reached  a  point  where  the  seemingly  impossi-  perfected   until   almost  any  cripple  could   be 


236 


THE  ARMIES  OF  IVIERCY 


supplied  with  an  arm  or  leg  that  would  really 
work.  Joints  that  were  stiffened  were  baked 
in  electric  ovens  until  they  lost  their  stiffness, 
and  new  muscles  were  developed  to  meet  new 
needs. 

OCCUPATION"    AS    A    CURE 

The  Army  Medical  Corps,  however,  did 
not  end  its  task  at  this  point.  As  soon  as  the 
disabled  man  was  capable  of  undertaking  any 
sort  of  activity,  he  \\as  put  at  actual  work 
in  the  workshop  attached  to  every  American 
Reconstruction  Hospital,  for  the  value  of 
these  curative  work-shops,  both  for  physical 
redevelopment  and  for  the  achievement  of  an 
attitude  of  ambition  and  hope,  was  early 
proved. 

Colonel  Sir  Robert  Jones,  British  Inspector 
of  Orthopedics,  explains  it  thus: 

"A  man  with  stiff  fingers  barely  able  to  grasp 
even  fairly  large  objects  is  soon  utterly  wearied 
if  set  to  grasp  spring  dumb-bells  or  any  other 
such  apparatus,  but  he  will  cheerfully  spend  the 


morning  grasping  a  big  duster  and  cleaning  the 
windows.  His  mind  is  set  on  the  dirt  he  has 
to  remove,  not  on  the  fact  that  his  maimed 
hand  is  repeatedly  taking  hold  of  and  letting 
go  the  duster.  Driving  a  plane  in  the  carpen- 
ter's shop  can  be  employed  for  exercising  mus- 
cles and  joints  In  both  arms  and  legs.  A  man 
with  a  stiff  ankle  soon  tires  of  working  a  pedal 
machine  or  a  stationary  bicycle  In  the  massage 
department;  therefore,  as  soon  as  the  limb  Is 
fit  for  It,  he  Is  offered  some  sort  of  work,  such 
as  fret  work,  where  his  foot  drives  the  fret- 
saw, but  his  hands  are  busy  guiding  the  work. 
His  brain  Is  interested  In  what  his  hands  are 
doing  and  not  wearied  by  the  curative  action 
which  the  treadle  motion  brings  about.  Similar- 
ly, bootmakers'  shops,  splint  shops,  tailor  shops, 
all  provide  their  share,  not  only  In  restoring 
the  men  to  health,  but  In  helping  the  surgical 
work  of  the  hospital  by  making  ingenious  splints 
and  devices  for  the  treatment  of  their  wounded 
comrades. 

"The  effect  on  the  mental  outlook  of  the 
wounded  man  Is  equally  Important.  A  soldier 
Is  either  fit   for   duty  or  he   Is   In   the   hospital. 


©     Underwood  and   Undcnvood. 

Hospital  Barges  on  the  Seine  River 

The  Red  Cross  maintained  these  barges  for  the  removal  of  the  wounded.    It  was  a  much  smoother 

way  to  travel  than  over  the  shell-torn  roads  of  France. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


237 


After  lying  in  bed  weeks  or  months  while  septic 
wounds  have  been  slowly  healing,  he  has  often 
lost  much  of  his  spirit  and  initiative.  If  he  is 
in  a  hospital  where  there  is  nothing  definite  for 
him  to  do,  he  is  likely,  during  his  convalescence, 
to  acquire  the  habit  of. getting  through  the  day 
without  doing  anything  more  energetic  than 
smoking,  playing  cards,  and  listening  to  a  con- 
cert, or,  if  out,  going  to  a  picture  show.  When, 
however,  the  patient  is  in  an  atmosphere  of 
work,  he  soon  recovers  some  hold  on  himself 
and  wishes  to  do  something,  especially  when  the 
satisfactory  performance  of  his  work  earns  him 
some  small  extra  privileges.  As  his  power  to 
work  increases  he  ceases  to  think  of  himself 
so  much  as  a  maimed  man,  but  begins  to  think 
of  what  he  will  do  in  the  future." 

SELF-CONFIDENCE  REPLACES   SELF-PITY 

Until  a  wounded  man  ceases  to  think  of 
himself  as  one  for  whom  life  has  little  to 
offer,  in  other  words,  until  a  perfectly  natural 
self-sympathy  is  replaced  by  self-confidence 
and  ambition,  the  cure  is  unfinished.  The 
following  is  from  a  letter  written  to  the 
Surgeon  General  by  a  crippled  man.  The  pro- 
gramme outlined  in  this  letter  has  been  fol- 
lowed by  the  Army  Medical  Corps: 

"What  I  have  to  say  is  based  on  direct  per- 
sonal experience,  having  been  'through  the  mill' 
myself  and  having  studied  the  question  for  the 
last  twenty  years  quite  fully. 

"You  must  not  only  fit  a  man  to  become  a 
wage  earner,  but,  fully  as  important,  you  must 
fit  him  to  enjoy  with  his  fellows  the  Vv-ages  thus 
earned.  You  will  find,  at  least  in  the  mind 
of  the  cripple,  that  this  second  factor  is  the  all- 
important  one.  In  all  candor  and  seriousness, 
you  cannot  hope  to  make  the  cripple  a  self- 
respecting  member  of  society  if  this  factor  is 
not  taken  into  account.  This  is  not  a  theory  but 
a  cold  fact.  Think  of  the  thing  a  moment  in 
terms  of  the  normal  man;  very  few  of  us  are 
choice  about  how  we  earn  our  money,  so  long 
as  society  lets  us  live  on  a  par  with  others  who 
earn  their  living  no  matter  how. 

'The  cripple  does  not  care  how  many  trick 
devices  you  fasten  on  him  in  order  to  enable 
him  to  become  a  productive  wage  earner,  but  to 
carry  them  into  his  home  and  in  his  social 
amusements,  of  whatever  kind  they  are,  high  or 
low,  is  as  repugnant  as  can  be  imagined.  One 
basic  fact  stands  out;  you  must  show  your  crip- 
ple that  he  can  enjoy  life.  You  cannot  realize 
the   force   and   bearing   this   has   on   the   whole 


problem.  I  am  not  overestimating  its  impor- 
tance when  I  say  that  unless  you  prove  to  the 
cripple  that  there  is  enjoyment  ahead  you  can 
do  very  little  to  help  him.  Frankly,  what  is  the 
incentive,  why  should  he  work,  why  even  live? 
What  do  we  live  for,  anyway?  The  pursuit 
of  happiness  in  the  main. 

"Now  let  me  outline  just  what  happens  and 
suggest  the  cure.  When  a  man  is  wounded 
and  crippled  the  realization  of  that  crippling 
comes  at  a  time  when  the  nervous  system  is  least 
able  to  bear  the  additional  shock  which  the  real- 
ization brings.  But  the  shock  does  come  to  the 
mind  and  with  it  a  feeling  that  worse  than 
death  has  come;  not  only  complete  dependency, 
but  the  robbing  of  the  cripple  of  all  or  nearly 
all  that  makes  life  livable.  Pictures  arise  of 
beggars  and  shoestring  peddlers  and  all  kinds 
of  maimed  and  helpless  individuals. 

"The  mental  suffering  is  very  acute,  although 
the  doctors  and  nurses  may  never  hear  of  it. 
The  mind  of  the  patient  is  in  no  condition  to 
undergo  the  ordeal  at  this  time.  For  through- 
out the  weeks  of  forced  inactivity,  a  mental  state 
amounting  perhaps  to  a  different  psycholog}' 
is  built  up,  and  often  strengthened  by  sympa- 
thetic nurses  who  do  little  more  than  confirm 
the  worst  suspicions  of  the  invalid  as  to  his  own 
position  in  the  world.  From  a  humanitarian 
standpoint  this  suffering  must  be  alleviated,  and 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  future  development 
of  the  cripple  this  is  the  crucial  time.  Couple 
with  a  shattered  nervous  system,  weeks  of  forced 
inactivity  with  the  idea  of  helplessness,  with  the 
idea  of  life  abnormal,  outside  the  pleasures  of 
the  world;  it  is  wonderful  that  not  all  cripples 
are  helpless! 


THE   PROBLEM  AS  OUTLINED  BY  A   CRIPPLE 

"You  must  put  in  contact  with  these  men 
in  the  hospitals  in  Europe  men  who  are  mission- 
aries, men  who  have  been  through  the  mill  and 
have  come  out  on  top,  who  know  what  is  being 
done  and  what  can  be  done.  You  must  kill  the 
idea  of  helplessness  almost  as  soon  as  it  is  born ; 
in  a  few  weeks  it  becomes  very  strong.  You 
must  show  moving  pictures  of  men  who  are 
crippled  enjoying  themselves  in  normal  ways, 
dancing,  skating,  paddling  a  canoe,  swimming, 
playing  billiards,  rolling  cigarettes,  and  hundreds 
of  things  they  cannot,  or  do  not,  know  about. 
I  could  multiply  these  things  a  thousandfold, 
things  Avhich  you  would  refuse  to  believe.  But 
they  must  be  'put  across'  to  the  men  early,  and 
it  must  be  done  by  men  who  have  had  the  ex- 
perience first  hand.     In  my  opinion  you  should 


238 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


organize  a  staff  of  this  kind  at  once.  It  should 
analyze  the  problem  from  the  aspects  of  loss 
of  limbs,  sight,  hearing,  etc.,  and  lay  out  a 
method  of  presentation  by  personal  talks,  lec- 
tures, pictures,  etc.,  and  should  go  immediately 
abroad." 

In  our  base  hospitals  in  France  and  in  this 
country  a  group  of  crippled  men  was  organ- 
ized to  show  our  disabled  soldiers  precisely 
what  a  man  could  do  under  various  physical 
handicaps.  With  these  men  was  shown  a 
remarkable  series  of  photographs  and  moving 
pictures,  with  the  same  object.  Further, 
every  crippled  fighter  was  given  a  book  con- 
taining illustrations  of  crippled  men  at  work 
and  at  play,  together  with  the  life  stories  of 
crippled  men  who  have  "made  good." 


THE   EMPLOYMENT   OF   THE   WOUNDED 

It  was  Uncle  Sam's  purpose  not  only  to  pre- 
pare every  one  of  his  disabled  nephews  for  a 
good  job,  but  to  see  that  he  got  it.    For  the 


first  time  in  history  various  nations  are  recog- 
nizing their  obligations  to  their  defenders, 
and  modern  science  has  been  joined  with  a 
greater  humanitarianism  for  the  payment  of 
these  debts. 

Through  the  Federal  Board  for  Voca- 
tional Education  the  government  boldly  as- 
sumed the  task  of  making  the  disabled  man 
ready  for  his  job.  The  acceptance  of  advice 
and  training  offered  by  the  Federal  Board 
was  optional  with  the  crippled  fighter,  but  only 
in  rare  instances  was  this  opportunity  re- 
jected. 

It  was  the  programme  of  the  Federal  Board, 
first  to  help  the  disabled  man  overcome  the 
demon  oi  depression  and  the  insidious  tempta- 
tion to  indolence  and  dependency ;  second,  to 
make  him  efficient,  and  third,  to  open  to  him 
the  door  of  opportunity  for  entrance  upon  a 
life  of  usefulness  and  independence.  The 
Board  approved  his  own  choice  of  occupation, 
unless,  after  careful  investigation,  sound  opin- 
ion showed  it  to  be  a  bad  choice;  trained  him 
for  the  occupation  he  had  chosen ;  helped  him 


U iideriuood  and  Underwood. 


British  and  German  Wounded 


Friend  and  foe  are  here  shown  just  behind   the  lines,    being   treated   alike   while   waiting  to   be 

transported  to  a  field  dressing  station. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


239 


to  secure  desirable  employment,  and  finally 
kept  in  close  touch  with  him  after  he  went 
to  work. 

Representatives  of  the  Federal  Board  con- 
ferred with  each  disabled  man  before  his  dis- 
charge from  the  hospital.  If  he  was  able  to 
resume  his  former  occupation,  or  to  follow 
some  new  occupation  without  special  train- 
ing, the  Board  assisted  him  to  find  employ- 
ment. If,  however,  under  these  conditions, 
the  disabled  man  wished  to  take  additional 
training  before  going  to  work  he  could  do  so 
at  the  expense  of  the  government,  under  con- 
ditions determined  by  the  Federal  Board. 
Every  effort  was  made  to  assist  the  fighter 
toward  that  occupation  in  which  he  was  most 
interested,  and  for  which,  either  because  of 
his  experience  or  because  of  his  handicap,  he 
was  best  suited.  He  might,  with  the  approval 
of  the  Board,  elect  to  be  trained  for  agri- 
culture, for  business,  or  for  one  of  the  pro- 
fessions, the  duration  and  character  of  the 
course  of  instruction  being  fixed  entirely  by 
the  requirements  of  the  individual  man  and 
his  ability. 

DISCHARGED   FROM   THE   SERVICE 

When  the  wounded  man  had  been  made 
whole,  he  was  given  his  discharge  from  the 
service  and  became  a  civilian.  He  was  not, 
however,  erased  from  Uncle  Sam's  pay  list, 
for  not  only  did  the  government  support  him 
while  he  was  a  student,  but  he  received  the 
same  allotments  and  family  allowances  that 
were  his  while  he  wore  the  uniform. 

As  a  student  he  enjoyed  the  same  freedom 
as  any  other  civilian  at  school  or  college, 
meeting  such  expenses  as  are  not  covered  by 
the  Board  from  the  compensation  provided  in 
the  Vocational  Rehabilitation  Act  and  sent 
direct  to  him. 

TRAINING,    PROBATION    AND   REESTABLISH- 
MENT 

This  training  might  take  any  one  of  numer- 
ous forms.  When  possible,  existing  facilities 
were  used ;  when  special  arrangements  were 
necessary  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  disabled 
man,  such  arrangements  were  made.  IVIanufac- 
turlng  establishments,  offices  and  farms  were 
used  for  training,  and  for  those  occupations 


iiy     Uiuici'i^(Jo_d  and   L  ndcrwood. 

A  French  Red  Cross  Train 

Box  cars  were  hastily  converted  into  temporary 
hospital  quarters  for  the  sick  and  wounded. 

that  do  not  come  within  the  scope  of  the  school 
or  college.  When  this  training  had  brought 
the  student  to  a  point  where  he  was  capable 
of  entering  upon  his  chosen  occupation,  he 
began  a  period  of  probation.  During  this 
probation  he  was  perfecting  and  adjusting  him- 
self to  the  needs  of  his  new  job,  and  fitting 
himself  to  become  a  permanent  employee.  He 
was  still,  however,  on  Uncle  Sam's  pay-roll 
and  any  wages  he  received  as  a  probationer 
were  over  and  above  the  sums  paid  to  him  by 
the  government. 

When,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board,  the 
student  had  achieved  a  degree  of  skill  equal  to 
his  self-support,  he  ceased  to  be  a  probationer 
and  his  support  by  the  government  automat- 
ically ceased.  But  the  interest  of  the  govern- 
ment in  his  welfare  did  not  cease.  As  the 
official  friend  and  adviser  of  the  new  work- 
man, the  Board  kept  in  touch  with  him  until 
his  reestabllshment  was  complete.  Further,  the 
Board  protected  him  against  injustice  or  ex- 
ploitation, and,  if  necessary,  gave  him  fur- 
ther training  to  enable  him  to  secure  other 
and  more  desirable  employment  in  the  same 
or  In  another  occupation. 


REHABILITATION  OF  THE  DISABLED  OF  THE  IN 

DUSTRIAL  ARMY 


IT  has  been  stated  that  750,000  people  of 
eighteen  of  the  United  States  of  America 
are  injured  annuallj^  in  the  industrial  occupa- 
tions. Of  these,  35,000  are  permanently  dis- 
abled. It  has  also  been  stated  that  80,000 
people  are  permanently  disabled  annually  in 
the  whole  United  States  through  accident 
received  in  industrial  occupations.  Of  these 
it  is  stated  that  2,000  are  totally  disabled. 

This  enormous  crippling  or  entire  loss  an- 
nually of  the  industrial  workers  has  not  re- 
ceived the  consideration  due  these  unfortunates 
by  federal,  state  or  local  governments,  or  by 
corporations  engaged  in  industrial  work,  who 
are  immediately  concerned. 

Sporadic  attempts  have  been  made  by  local 
communities  or  by  corporations  to  overcome 
the  handicap  due  to  the  disability  by  the  ap- 
plication of  measures  of  physical  and  mental 
rehabilitation.  But,  as  stated,  the  attempts 
have  been  purely  local,  small  in  character  as 
compared  with  the  enormous  problem,  and 
have  been  characterized  by  partial  success  only 
because  of  the  lack  of  uniform  standardiza- 
tion and  application  of  the  Avork. 

The  application  of  mental  and  physical 
rehabilitation  to  sick  and  disabled  soldiers  by 
practically  all  of  the  nations  engaged  in  the 
war  has  proved  so  successful  and  beneficial 
that  it  imperatively  demands  the  application 
of  like  measures  for  the  benefit  of  the  dis- 
abled of  the  army  of  the  industrial  world. 

The  need  of  the  physical  and  mental  re- 
habilitation of  the  disabled  of  the  industrial 
army  of  the  United  States  has  already  re- 
ceived the  earnest  consideration  of  thoughtful 
members  of  the  United  States  Congress,  of 
Federal  Department  officers,  of  governors  and 
other  officers  of  some  of  the  states,  of  the  heads 
of  great  industrial  corporations,  of  members  of 
the  medical  profession,  and  of  the  workers 
themselves. 

The  success  of  the  mental  and  physical 
rehabilitation  of  disabled  soldiers  under  the 
administration    of    governmental     authorities 


cooperating  with  civilian  organizations  in 
England,  France,  Italy,  Canada  and  other 
countries,  and  under  the  War  Department  of 
our  own  government  cooperating  with  the 
Bureau  of  War  Risk  Insurance  and  the  Fed- 
eral Board  for  Vocational  Education  suggests 
a  similar  initiation  of  the  mental  and  physical 
rehabilitation  of  the  disabled  of  the  industrial 
army. 

FEDERAL  ATTENTION  TO  THIS  PROBLEM 

In  this  connection  it  is  suggested  that  the 
mental  and  physical  rehabilitation  of  the  dis- 
abled in  civil  life  should  be  standardized  by 
federal  law.  Federal  responsibility  in  the 
welfare  of  the  people  of  the  country  should 
be  a  reason  for  the  enactment  of  federal  and 
State  legislation  which  will  establish  the  com- 
pulsory application  of  measures  of  prevention 
of  disease  and  injury  and  rehabilitation  to 
overcome  the  handicap  of  those  who,  in  spite 
of  the  application  of  precautionary  measures, 
are  disabled  by  illness  and  injury.  The  re- 
sponsibility for  the  efficient  and  practical  ap- 
plication of  physical  and  functional  rehabili- 
tation of  the  disabled  should  lie  with  the 
state,  the  municipality  or  other  local  com- 
munities. The  cost  of  the  rehabilitation  of 
the  disabled  should  be  borne  in  proper  ratio 
by  the  federal,  state,  county  and  municipal 
governments  and  the  corporations  employing 
labor. 

MILITARY    EXAMINATIONS    SHOW    NUMBER   OF 

UNFIT 

The  problem  of  mental  and  physical  re- 
habilitation of  the  civilian  population  disabled 
by  illness  and  injury  involves  primarily  the 
application  of  known  scientific  and  other  prac- 
tical measures  of  disease  and  accident  preven- 
tion. It  is  significant  of  the  need  of  the 
application  of  known  practical  and  efficient 
measures  of  disease  prevention   that  approxi- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


241 


A  British  Ambulance  Train 


Underwood  and  Underwood. 


This  British  official  photograph  shows  the  spick-and-span  interior  of  a  British  ambulance  train  on 
the  British  Western  front.     The  wounded  are  being  transported  to  an  English  Base  Hospital. 


mately  50,000  registrants  were  rejected  be- 
cause of  pulmonary  tuberculosis  by  the  local 
draft  boards  and  the  military  medical  exam- 
ining boards  of  the  training  camps.  Many 
of  these  young  men  were  unaware  that  they 
suffered  from  the  disease.  The  draft  boards 
and  the  training  camp  medical  officers  detected 
and  rejected  as  unfit  for  military  service  ap- 
proximately 53,000  registrants  made  defective 
by  acquired  or  congenital  nervous  disease  or 
mental  deficiencv.  Other  disqualifying  con- 
ditions due  to  preventable  diseases  caused  the 


rejection  by  draft  boards  of  thousands  of  our 
young  men. 

DISEASE  AND  INJURY  PREVENTION 

The  experience  resulting  from  the  war 
emphasizes  the  need  recognized  for  years  by 
sanitarians  and  many  physicians  of  the  com- 
pulsory application  of  measures  of  preven- 
tion of  infectious  and  other  acquired  and 
congenital  diseases  or  morbid  conditions.  Well 
known  and  safe  means  of  immunization  will 


242 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


practically  banish  smallpox,  typhoid  and  para- 
typhoid fevers.  The  efficient  application  of 
the  laws  of  sanitation  will  abolish  or  diminish 
to  a  negligible  degree  malaria,  hookworm  dis- 
eases which  are  so  productive  of  tempo- 
rar)'^  or  permanent  disability.  Venereal  dis- 
ease prevention  should  be  enforced  by  meas- 
ures which  command  known  medical  knowl- 
edge and  skill  reinforced  by  the  police 
powers  of  the  state.  Fortunately,  alco- 
holic misuse  and  the  harmful  results  to 
the  individual  and  through  him  of  others, 
will  soon  cease  to  be  a  national  menace. 
Marriage  and  birth  control  are  essential  meas- 
ures of  prevention  of  an  increasing  number 
of  the  physically  and  mentally  unfit.  Many 
of  these  unfortunates  are  dependent  from 
birth  on  society  for  their  maintenance  or 
become  so  because  of  non-resistance  to  disease 
or  because  they  are  physically  or  mentally 
unable  to  safeguard  themselves  from  indus- 
trial or  other  injury.  Individual  hygiene  and 
the  prompt  treatment  of  trivial  injuries  and 
illnesses  and  the  thorough  eradication  of  foci 
of  infection  will  usually  prevent  more  serious 


consequences  from  developing  than  heretofore. 
The  war  has  shown  us  the  value  of  a  life 
in  the  open  with  regular  hours,  directed  exer- 
cise, a  simple  dietary  and  the  use  of  sensible 
shoes,  as  measures  for  developing  resistance  to 
disease  and  the  maintenance  of  healthful 
vigor.  Many  industrial  corporations  have 
already  learned  the  value  of  the  application 
of  measures  of  disease  and  injury  prevention. 
Better  sanitary  conditions  have  been  estab- 
lished and  safety  devices  adopted  which  have 
been  of  the  greatest  value  to  employer  and 
employee.  These  measures  of  safety  pro- 
vision should  be  standardized  and  universally 
applied,  under  a  law  of  compulsion. 

USE  OF  CIVILIAN   HOSPITALS 

Rehabilitation  of  the  disabled  in  civil  life 
should  begin  in  the  civilian  hospitals  just  as 
it  has  received  its  primary  application  to  the 
disabled  soldiers  in  the  military  hospitals. 
There  is  this  difference,  howxver ;  the  military 
hospital  is  justified  in  the  application  of  cura- 
tive work   having   a  vocational   trend   which 


Courtesy  of  the  Red   Cross. 


A  Wounded  Belgian  Boy 

Red  Cross  workers  performing  deeds  of  mercy  among  young  and  old. 


VII— 16 


244 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     UndcyTxOod  and   Underwood. 


A  French  River  Barge 

This  canal  boat  was  converted  into  a  hospital,  the  wounded  being  brought  to  it  in  motor  ambulances. 


will  make  the  soldier  of  greater  value  to  the 
army  when  he  shall  have  recovered. 

In  the  civilian  hospital  the  application  of 
curative  work  in  the  treatment  of  the  patients 
is  justified  as  a  curative  measure,  which  makes 
more  certain  and  more  rapid  the  recovery  of 
the  patient.  Every  civilian  hospital  which 
serves  a  large  community  should  maintain  a  de- 
partment of  physiotherapy  properly  equipped, 
in  which  standardized  and  efficient  physical 
treatment  may  be  given  to  the  sick  and  dis- 
abled who  require  it.  But  a  civilian  hospital 
cannot  become  or  be  maintained  as  a  voca- 
tional school  or  college  in  the  sense  of  edu- 
cating and  training  the  sick  to  better  qualify 
them  for  an  old  occupation  or  to  train  them 
for  a  new  one. 

The  function  of  the  hospital  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  sick  ceases  when  the  patient  has 
reached  the  degree  of  maximum  physical  and 
functional  restoration.  If  the  patient  is  per- 
manently disabled  by  sickness  or  injury  and 
the  handicap  due  to  the  permanent  disability 
needs  to  be  overcome  by  vocational  training 


and  education,  the  convalescent  patient  should 
receive  this  elsewhere  than  at  the  hospital. 

INDUSTRIAL   TRAINING   SCHOOLS 

It  is  my  belief  that  the  time  has  come  when 
industrial  training  centers  with  properly 
equipped  shops  and  schools  must  be  main- 
tained in  every  great  manufacturing  and  in- 
dustrial center  where  th^  disabled,  both  tem- 
porary and  permanent,  but  especially  the  lat- 
ter, may  receive  the  training  and  education 
necessary  to  qualify  them  to  continue  in  the 
old  jobs  or,  if  necessary,  to  qualify  them  for 
new  occupations.  By  cooperation  with  exist- 
ing industrial  shops  and  schools  this  training 
and  education  may  be  carried  on  without  great 
expense.  The  opportunities  offered  should  be 
made  available  for  the  convalescent  disabled 
men  and  women  discharged  from  all  hospitals 
of  the  community. 

This  project  should  receive  the  financial 
and  moral  support  of  the  responsible  business 
heads  of  the  great  railroads,  great  manufac- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


245 


turing  interests,  public  utilities,  and  all  persons 
able  to  aid  who  are  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  their  fellow  men.  It  should  receive  the 
enthusiastic  support  and  cooperation  of  all 
industrial  workers. 

PENSIONING    OF    THE    DISABLED 

Government  pensions  for  permanently  dis- 
abled soldiers  and  compensation  for  indus- 
trial accidents  are  just  measures  of  relief. 
This  money  consideration  never  adequately 
compensates  the  injured  individual  for  the 
disability  suffered.  The  loss  of  the  normal 
physique,  of  bodily  vigor,  of  an  arm  or  a  leg, 
can  hardly  be  compensated  by  a  government 
pension.  The  compensation  does,  however, 
afford  means  which  should  encourage  him  to 
take  training  necessary  to  rehabilitate  him  and 
to  overcome  the  handicap  due  to  the  disability. 


CONCLUSION 

The  government  maintains  homes  for  the 
disabled  soldiers.  Counties  and  municipali- 
ties maintain  hospitals  for  the  free  treatment 
of  the  poor,  and  almshouses  for  those  no  longer 
able  to  maintain  themselves  because  of  physi- 
cal disabilities  due  to  serious  injury  and  old 
age.  These  homes  for  dependents  are  also 
justified  by  the  need,  but  if  proper  measures 
are  applied  adequatelj?^  to  rehabilitate,  by 
proper  training  and  education,  those  disabled 
by  sickness  and  injury,  the  large  number  of 
dependents  of  the  military  and  industrial 
armies,  who  have  in  the  past  and  may  con- 
tinue in  the  future  to  suffer  the  prolongation 
of  a  relatively  useless  and  unhappy  existence 
in  these  institutions,  will  be  greatly  decreased, 
if  the  measures  advocated  herein  are  carried 
out. 


THE  PREPAREDNESS  OF  THE  ARMY  MEDICAL 

DEPARTMENT 


HOW    IT    FOUGHT    THE    INVISIBLE    FORCES    OF 
DISEASE 

THE  Medical  Corps  of  the  modern  army 
exists  for  two  purposes;  first,  because 
war  is  a  brutal  thing,  to  return  to  the  battle 
line  as  soon  as  possible  soldiers  who  have  been 
disabled ;  second,  to  reduce  unnecessary  suf- 
fering. Wherefore,  the  Army  Medical  Corps 
has  two  functions:  prevention  and  cure.  Be- 
fore the  world  struggle  just  ended,  there  had 
been  but  one  great  war  wherein  the  weapons 
of  science  were  brought  to  bear  against  the 
invisible  host  that  is  more  insidious  than  shot 
and  shell.  These  enemies  have  always  existed 
along  the  battle  line,  and  they  have  always 
attacked  the  unseasoned  soldier  in  his  training 
camp,  but  it  is  only  with  the  past  few  years 
that  they  have  become  known  to  medical 
science. 

Students  of  medicine  have  given  up  their 
lives  in  the  discovery  of  these  same  forces; 
they  have  died  for  their  country  as  truly  as 
any  soldier,  and  they  have  left  as  a  result 
of  their  sacrifice  a  definite  knowledge  to  be 


used  against  disease.  Through  the  last  twenty- 
five  years  the  parasites  have  been  catalogued 
in  minute  detail,  and  the  great  majority  of 
them  have  been  brought  under  control. 

The  American  Army  Medical  Corps  gave 
the  world  one  of  the  first  and  finest  examples 
of  the  application  of  preventive  medicine  on 
n  large  scale  when  it  discovered  how  to 
conquer  yellow  fever  and,  through  the  appli- 
cation of  these  discoveries  by  General  Gorgas, 
drove  that  curse  from  the  Panama  Canal 
Zone. 

And  the  sanitation  of  the  American  Army 
in  France  was  little  short  of  miraculous. 

THE    bacilli's    FIRST    DEFEAT 

In  the  Russo-Japanese  War,  the  Japanese 
possessed,  every  modern  precaution  against 
bacilli,  with  the  result  that  the  number  of 
deaths  from  disease  in  the  Japanese  Army  was 
the  lowest  ever  known  in  any  large-scale 
campaign. 

In  the  World  War,  the  Germans  forced 
sanitation    upon    the    uncleanly    Turk.      And 


246 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


the  uncleanly  Turk  forthwith  developed  a 
health-rate  equal  to  that  of  any  army  in 
Europe ! 

Yellow  fever,  malaria,  the  plague,  cholera, 
dysentery,  smallpox,  typhoid,  and  a  dozen 
other  diseases  have  come  under  the  control 
of  the  military  sanitarian,  and  whole  armies 
are  no  longer  wiped  out  under  the  eyes  of 
their  generals,  as  thej'  were  for  uncounted 
centuries. 

The  soldiers  of  the  American  Army  were 
protected  by  ever}'  means  known  to  the  art 
of  medicine — with  what  success  is  best  told 
by  the  absence  of  epidemic  and  disease  among 
our  troops  in  the  training  camps  and  at  the 
front. 

CIVILIAN    SOLDIERS    MADE    IMMUNE 

Remember  always  that  the  American  Army 
was  made  up  of  civilians,  and  that  the  "lux- 
uries and  habits  of  a  lifetime  were  stripped  off 
by  the  rough  hand  of  military  necessity  until 
they  stood  forth  the  fighting  men  of  all  the 


centuries,  divested  of  everything  except  the 
weapons  in  their  hands  and  the  clothes  on 
their  backs,  cooking  their  simple  meals  before 
the  fire,  with  the  earth  for  their  bed  and  the 
sky  for  their  roof,  .  .  ,  marching  all  day  in 
rain-soaked  clothes  and  sleeping  on  wet  and 
frozen  ground  .  .  .  ." 

Throughout  his  metamorphosis  the  new 
soldier  was  under  the  closest  scrutiny  of  the 
Army  surgeon,  who  studied  him  and  worked 
with  him  to  make  him  as  nearly  as  possible 
immune  from  disease. 

In  the  Spanish-American  War  we  had  some 
216,000  troops  in  the  field — and  we  had,  in 
1898,  25,000  cases  of  typhoid  fever,  the  most 
dangerous  of  all  camp  diseases.  In  1913,  the 
first  year  in  which  our  entire  Army  was 
vaccinated  against  this  plague,  there  were  but 
four  cases !  And  two  of  these  were  recruits 
w-ho  had  typhoid  before  they  joined  the  Army. 
This  among  more  than  100,000  men.  It  is 
a  notable  record. 

Sir  William  Osier  has  drawn  a  striking 
picture  of   the  value  of   the   preventive  that 


Wyndham,   Paris. 


Packing  Kits  For  American  Soldiers 

Wonien  workers  at  one  of  the  stations  pf  the  American  Fund  for  French  Wounded. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


2i,1 


Underivooi  and  Underwood. 

The  Sun's  Rays  Heal  the  Wounds  of  Invalid  War  Prisoners 

These  men  suffered  from  tubercular  complaints  as  result  of  exposure  at  the  front.    They  are  taking 
the  sun  cure  on  the  veranda  ot  the  Sanitarium  at  Leysin,  high  in  the  mountains  of  Switzerland. 


has  almost  conquered  the  bacillus  that  has 
conquered  so  many  of  the  armies  of  the 
past: 

"If,  in  spite  of  the  doctor's  care  and  his  own 
personal  activities,  the  soldier  falls  heir  to  a 
half-million  germs  of  the  unfriendly  kind,  he 
is  spied  out  by  the  doctor  at  once  and  hustled 
off  to  an  isolation  hospital  in  order  that  he 
may  not  become  a  'carrier,'  that  most  dreaded 
of  camp  parasites,  for  in  the  proximity  which 
must  be  extant  in  war  time,  a  'carrier'  is 
much  more  dangerous  than  a  lone  submarine 
to  a  battleship  fleet. 

"If  the  latter  can  keep  out  of  sight  long 
enough  it  may  get  in  its  deadly  work,  but 
give  a  disease  carrier  the  same  privilege  and 
he  will  most  certainly  infect  a  whole  com- 
mand. 

"Such  is  the  power  of  the  purely  invisible 
microbe  when  once  it  finds  itself  free  to  roam 
in  such  verdant  pastures  as  are  to  be  found  in 
the  constitutionally  weakened  men  in  the  rain- 
soaked  trenches.  Every  other  method  known 
to  modern  science  having  been  found  to  be 
impotent  in  the  face  of  an  unknown  carrier, 
especial  attention  centers  on  that  method 
which  has  been  found  by  actual  experience  to 
give  certain  immunity  from  the  most  dan- 
gerous  of   camp   diseases,    regardless   of   con- 


ditions. The  efforts  of  many  men  for  many 
years  having  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  proper 
authorities  the  weapon  with  which  to  success- 
fully combat  typhoid  fever,  it  seems  remark- 
able that  in  view  of  the  statistics  of  former 
years,  which  show  that  this  disease  alone  is 
more  than  liable  to  decimate  an  army  in  a 
year's  time,  every  soldier  has  not  availed  him- 
self of  the  opportunity  of  taking  this  vital 
protection  against  the  most  potent  of  camp 
diseases.  If  some  manufacturer  could  pro- 
duce an  armor  which  would  weigh  nothing 
and  not  be  cumbersome,  and  would  assuredly 
protect  the  soldier  against  the  bullets  and 
shrapnel  shells  of  the  enemy,  it  is  not  unlikely 
that  every  soldier  would  avail  himself  of  this 
'immunity  bath.'  But  when  protection  is 
offered  which  w'ill  cost  him  not  one-twenty- 
fifth  the  inconvenience  of  even  the  lightest 
armor,  and  which  is  proof  against  a  foe  more 
deadly  than  the  enemy's  bullets,  it  has  been 
the  experience  of  the  armies  that  the  soldiers 
did  not  freely  avail  themselves  of  this  pro- 
tection." 

In  other  words,  even  before  our  entry  into 
the  war,  typhoid  had  ceased  to  be  a  reason 
for  dread  among  our  soldiers — anti-typhoid  in- 
oculation having  justified  itself  as  a  sure  pre- 
ventive. 


248 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Colli  Us  y   of  the  Red   Cress. 


A  Red  Cross  Automobile  Canteen 

It  is  close  up  to  the  front,  and  French  soldiers  are  having  refreshments  before  going  into  the  trenches. 


FRESH     WATER     FROM    STALE     PUMPS 

One  of  the  most  difficult  tasks  faced  by 
the  medical  corps  of  an  army  is  the  supplying 
of  an  adequate  supply  of  pure  water.  An 
old  soldier,  trained  and  seasoned  in  many 
campaigns,  can  march  all  day  under  a  hot 
sun  and  get  along  with  one  canteen  of  water, 
but  the  new  man,  the  "citizen  soldier,"  has 
neither  the  hardihood  nor  the  ingrained  disci- 
pline that  will  carry  him  by  a  village  pump 
when  he  is  hot  and  thirsty.  He  cannot  see 
the  bacteria  in  the  water;  he  is  suffering  for 
a  drink,  and  he  takes  it.  The  water-route 
is  one  of  the  most  potent  means  of  infection. 

Wherefore  the  American  Medical  Corps 
devised  a  means  that  would  make  it  possible 
to  supply  pure  water  to  our  men  at  any  time, 
anywhere.  This  was  a  canvas  bag  of  woven 
flax  weighing  empty  but  seven  and  a  half 
pounds,  and  holding  enough  to  supply  every 
man  and  officer  of  a  company  one  canteen  of 
water.  The  bag  was  filled  from  the  same 
dangerous  village  pump,  and  a  tube  of  hypo- 


chlorite of  calcium,  15^  grains,  was  added. 
In  five  minutes  the  faucets  at  the  bottom  of 
the  bag  would  give  forth  a  perfectly  safe 
drinking-water. 

The  cruel  lessons  learned  in  the  Spanish 
War,  when  sickness  and  epidemic  ran  riot  in 
the  concentration  camps,  bore  their  first  fruit 
in  the  almost  ideal  health  conditions  among 
our  troops  on  the  IVIexican  border. 

The  line  officers  there  were  only  less  en- 
thusiastic than  the  medical  officers  over  the 
proved  value  of  hygiene  and  sanitation,  so 
that  the  entire  service  became  imbued  with  the 
knowledge  that  to  keep  fit  and  well  is  the 
first  duty  of  the  fighting  man. 

What  our  Medical  Corps  learned  on  a 
small  scale  on  the  Mexican  border ;  what  it 
learned  from  the  bitter  experiences  of  our 
Allies  before  we  entered  the  war;  and  all  the 
ingenuity  and  inventiveness  of  the  most  in- 
genious people  on  earth,  were  brought  into 
play  when  our  troops  went  to  the  battle  line. 
Our  war  record  is  the  Medical  Corps'  bright- 
est decoration. 


HOW  OUR  WOUNDED  WERE  CARED  FOR  AT  THE 

FRONT 

THE  DISABLED  DOUGHBOY  AND  THE  DOCTOR  '^   training       It   was   truer  still  when   they 

got  into  fighting  and  instead  of  a  score  or  so 

SOMEWHERE  in  France  was  the  Johns  wounded,  which  was  all  we  had  in  a  month  in 

Hopkins  Base  Hospital — the  name  itself  the   trenches,    there   was   well   more   than    a 

is    enough    to    inspire    confidence — to    which  score.     Every  plan  was  laid  for  the  prompt 

were  sent  almost  the  first  American  soldiers  transportation  and  care  of  American  wounded, 

wounded  at  the  front.  Within  twenty-four  hours  of  the  time  he  was 

This  vivid   picture  of   how   our  wounded  wounded  the  American  soldier  would  be  under 

men  were  cared  for  shows  in  brilliant  con-  the  care  of  an  American  woman  nurse, 

trast  what  was  done  for  them  by  the  Med-  It  was   decided   that  woman   nurses  were 

ical  Corps,  as  compared  to  what  happened  not  necessary  in  evacuation  hospitals,  which  were 

so  many  centuries  ago,  when,  as  history  tells,  only  eight  or  ten  miles  behind  the  front  and 

at  the  end  of  a  great  battle,  the  commanding  which  the  Germans  delighted  to  bomb,  so  the 

officer  went  among  the  wounded,  and,  to  put  American  woman  would  get  as  near  as  any 

them  out  of  their  miserj^,  for  he  was  a  kind-  woman  could  get  to  the  actual  firing-line, 

hearted  man,  "tenderly  cut  their  throats."  The  better  to  insure  the  comfort,  and,  with 

This    is    the    story    of    an    American    war  badly    wounded,    the    life    of    the    American 

correspondent,  written  at  the  time  when  our  wounded  man,  a  new  stretcher  was  designed, 

troops  were  just  beginning  to  go  under  fire,  on  the  hammock  principle,  so  that  it  could  be 

How    this    vast   medical    organization    devel-  readily     carried     through     narrow,     winding 

oped  and  how  smoothly  it  functioned  to  the  trenches. 

end  of  the  war  is  shown  by  our  own  hospital  Large  numbers  of  automobile  ambulances 
records.  The  time  came  when  our  men  were  were  sent  to  France.  Though  some  were  found 
killed  in  great  numbers,  but  the  time  never  unsuitable  for  the  purpose  and  were  used  as 
came  when  the  proportion  of  deaths  by  wound  runabout  trucks,  the  supply  was  ample, 
and  disease  was  not  lower  than  it  had  been  But  before  inquiring  further  into  the  man- 
in  all  our  history.  The  Army  Medical  Corps  ner  in  which  American  wounded  were  liandlcd 
was  faced  by  new  problems:  poison  gas,  high  some  explanation  of  the  organization  plan  for 
explosives  that  made  terrible  shattering  expediting  their  recovery  should  be  given, 
wounds,  soil  so  impregnated  with  the  rot  of  The  first  and  foremost  principle  was  that  the 
war  that  to  touch  it  was  poison,  and  a  hun-  quicker  a  wounded  man  was  transferred  from 
dred  others.  These  problems  were  solved.  the  confusion  and  noise  of  the  front  to  com- 
The  doughboy  was  saved  when  it  was  hu-  paratively  quiet  surroundings,  the  more  rapid 
manly  possible,  and  often  when  it  wasn't.  would  be  his  recovery.     Everytliing  was  done 

The  average  soldier  did  not  know  he  got  to  obtain  rapidity  in  getting  him  to  the  rear, 

in   France  better  medical  care  than   he  ever  and  at  the  same  time   insuring  the  comfort 

would  be  able  to  get  for  himself  were  he  at  that  was  essential. 

home  and  in  civilian  life.     In  fact,  there  were  A  soldier  was  wounded,  we  will  saj',  in  a 

few  officers  in  the  Army  who  would  be  able  front-line   trench,    by   a    shell    explosion.     A 

to  afford    the  services   of  such   an   army   of  call  was  sent  back  for  stretcher-bearers,   or, 

specialists,  men  who  made  reputations  nation-  if  they  were  not  available,  one  or  more  of  his 

wide  In  practice  at  home,  as  were  in  charge  comrades   started   back  with  him.      Now,    if 

of   the   hospitals   there.      All   their  care   and  the   trenches   were   narrow   and   winding,    as 

supervision  the  soldier  got  free.  most   trenches   were,    the   old    tyi:>e   stretcher 

This  was  true  while  the  Army  was  still  would    not   do.      Either    the    man    must   be 


250 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


1 


©     Bachrach,  Baltimore. 


Dr.Theo.C.Janeway,  Physician-In-Chief  of  Johns  Hopkins  Hospit. 

One    of    the    first    American    physicians    to    be    killed    in   the   war.     Johns    Hopkins   was   one   of 
the  controlling  factors  in  the  American  medical  service  during  the  war. 


carried,  or  perhaps  the  new  hammock  stretcher 
would  do  the  trick.  The  soldier's  wound  was 
bandaged  as  well  as  possible  with  his  own 
first-aid  kit,  contained  in  a  little  tin  can  about 
the  size  and  shape  of  a  pack  of  cards,  and  he 
was  taken  back  to  the  first-aid  dressing-station. 
This  was  usually  in  a  dugout  anywhere 
from  a  hundred  yards  to  a  half-mile  from  the 
first-line  trench.  Here  a  medical  officer  was 
generally    on    duty.      The    moment    it    was 


known  that  the  man  had  been  wounded,  a 
telephone  message  went  back  to  send  up  an 
ambulance  to  the  nearest  point  behind  the 
lines  where  it  w^as  safe  for  an  ambulance  to 
go.  The  Germans  liked  to  shell  ambulances 
as  they  liked  to  bomb  hospitals.  Meantime, 
in  the  advanced  dressing-station  the  wound 
was  bandaged  again,  as  well  as  possible,  and 
the  soldier  received  an  injection  of  antitetanus 
serum.     Then   the   ambulance   took  him   to 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


251 


the  field-hospital,  about  four  or  five  miles 
behind  the  front.  There  he  was  operated 
upon  only  if  the  need  was  pressing. 

THE    EVACUATION    HOSPITAL 

At  the  field  hospital  the  wounded  were 
given  a  more  thorough  dressing  and  bandag- 
ing to  prepare  them  for  the  trip  to  the  evac- 
uation hospital.  It  was  in  these  last  that 
surgical  miracles  were  matters  of  daily  per- 
formance. 

There  were  special  operating  teams  on  duty 
all  the  time,  with  special  wards  for  each  spe- 
cial kind  of  wound.  It  was  expected  that 
50  per  cent,  of  the  men  operated  upon  would 
recover,  and  that  is  a  good  percentage,  for 
naturally  such  cases  were  serious  to  start  with. 
The  wounded  man  remained  in  the  evacua- 
tion hospital  until  he  convalesced  sufficiently 
to  be  sent  to  a  convalescent  hospital. 

He  went  there  on  a  hospital  train.  If  his 
condition  required  it  he  was  sent  in  one  of 
the  special  hospital  trains  ordered  in  Eng- 
land. Each  train  carried  375  bed  patients. 
They  were  the  last  word  in  railroad  comfort, 
with  every  possible  convenience  and  hygienic 
appliance,     equipped     for    every     emergency. 


Other  hospital  trains  were  made  by  trans- 
forming wagons-lits  cars  of  the  French  rail- 
road service,  the  equivalent  of  our  Pullmans. 
If  the  patient  recovered  sufficiently  to  be  a 
"sitting  case"  he  traveled  in  trains  composed 
of  day-coaches,  with  an  extra  car  attached  for 
hospital  attendants  and  another  one  for  cook- 
ing. 

He  went  to  a  convalescent  hospital  situated 
probably  at  or  near  the  Atlantic  coast.  There 
he  stayed  until  he  was  thoroughly  well.  Such 
a  hospital  was  the  Massachusetts  General 
Hospital,  for  instance.  Let  us  suppose  that, 
unforunately,  the  soldier  had  lost  a  leg  or  an 
arm  or  had  been  otherwise  permanently  dis- 
abled. Then,  and  then  onlj^,  did  he  go  back 
to  the  United  States. 

No  slightly  wounded  and  no  convalescents 
were  sent  back  home.  No  man  who,  when 
he  recovered,  could  serve  again  as  a  soldier, 
was  sent  back  home.  Only  a  man  who  could 
serve  no  longer  went  home.  .  .  .  Therefore, 
there  were,  properly  speaking,  no  American 
hospital  ships.  On  each  returning  transport 
there  was,  however,  a  sick-bay  to  accommo- 
date from  50  to  150  patients,  and  a  medical 
officer  was  aboard  each  returning  transport 
to  care  for  them  if  they  needed  care. 


mmm. 


An  American  Ambulance  in  a  Shell-'l'orn  Street  of  Verdun 


252 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Cotnmittee  Public  Information. 


United  States  Army  Hospital  Car 


A  broad,  spacious  car  that  afforded  the  maximum  comfort  in  trying  conditions.     These  wounded 
men  could  not  get  to  the  hospital  in  the  moment  of  need,   so   unlike   the   mountain   in   the   case   of 

Mohammed,  the  hospital  came  to  them. 


Now,  if  the  soldier  were  blinded  he  got 
home  as  quickly  as  it  was  possible  to  get 
him  there.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  number 
of  men  blinded  in  war  is  not  so  great  as 
some  suppose.  Only  one  man  of  every  i,ooo 
or  1,200  wounded  men  loses  his  sight.  But 
when  there  were  American  blind  they  received 
the  tenderest  care  and  w^ere  returned  to  the 
surroundings  of  home  as  quickly  as  could  be. 
Medical  officers  are  convinced  that  this  factor, 
an  early  return  home,  was  especially  impor- 
tant with  the  blind. 

As  soon  as  he  could  be  removed  the  sight- 
less soldier  was  sent  to  a  special  hospital,  where 
not  only  did  he  receive  medical  care,  but  his 
instruction  was  begun  in  how  to  care  for 
himself  and  how  to  make  himself  useful  under 
his  handicap. 

As  quickly  as  enough  patients  were  accumu- 
lated at  this  hospital  to  make  up  a  ship's  com- 
plement they  were  sent  home.     The  instruc- 


tion continued  aboard  ship,  and  a  special  in- 
structor of  the  blind  went  with  them  for  the 
purpose.  Once  in  the  United  States  the  main 
work  of  reeducation,  for  that  is  what  it 
amounted  to,  was  undertaken  in  special 
hospitals. 

THE    MERCY    OF    MODERN    WAR 

Two  facts  differentiated  the  Great  War 
from  all  the  wars  of  the  past.  First  was  the 
amazing  reduction  of  mortality  through  dis- 
ease, and  second  was  the  very  small  mortality 
among  the  wounded  who  were  not  fatally 
hurt.  In  other  wars,  if  the  same  number  of 
men  had  been  involved,  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands would  have  died  that  have  not  died, 
and  so  conservative  a  publication  as  the 
London  Lancet  endorses  the  statement  that 
with  the  death-rate  what  it  had  been  in 
previous  wars,   neither  side  would   have  had 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


253 


enough   troops   left   to  continue   the   struggle 
beyond   the  end   of    1917. 

The  two  greatest  medical  triumphs,  and 
the  two  most  potent  forces  in  achieving  them, 
were  sanitation  and  prophylactic  inoculation. 

The  permanent  character  of  most  of  the 
fighting,  the  unshifting  trenches  and  the  vast 
bodies  of  men  huddled  close  together,  made 
conditions  ideal  for  the  breeding  of  epidemics. 
These  epidemics  did  not  occur. 

Refuse  was  destroyed  or  deeply  buried ; 
battlefields  in  many  cases  were  cleaned  up 
within  a  few  days ;  pure  water  supplies  were 
provided.  Everywhere  behind  the  immediate 
front  order  and  cleanliness  were  the  rule.  The 
rule  of  the  Army  Medical  Corps  officer  was 
not  always  welcomed  by  the  inhabitants,  but  it 
worked,  and  with  magnificent  success.  Camps 
which  in  previous  wars  would  have  been  death- 
traps had  as  low  a  mortality  rate  as  the  most 
approved  health  resort.  The  work  of  the 
medical  officer  was  not  showy,  it  was  often 
monotonous,  but  it  was  invaluable,  and  prob- 
ably saved  more  lives  than  all  the  other  medi- 
cal work  of  the  war. 

Preventive  inoculation  achieved  a  triumph 
even  more  impressive  than  its  immediate  and 
visible  results.  In  every  European  war  of 
the  past  typhoid  and  dysentery  were  deadly  to 
a  degree  far  beyond  the  guns.  They  killed 
thousands   where   the   latter   killed   hundreds. 


In  this  greatest  of  wars,  not  only  were  ty- 
phoid and  dysentery  rendered  impotent,  but 
cludera  and  plague  were  held  back  from  troops 
in  almost  every  climate  of  the  world. 

The  bacteriologists  fought  against  unseen 
forces,  the  surgeons  faced  visible  problems  no 
less  difficult  because  they  were  visible,  and  the 
work  of  the  army  surgeon  was  one  of  the  great 
epics  of  the  war.  Wounds  were  of  an  average 
gravity  beyond  all  expectations.  In  almost 
every  case  they  were  heavily  infected  with 
organisms  from  the  cultivated  soil  of  the 
battlefields.  For  the  first  few  months  of  the 
war  surgeons  of  the  Allied  armies  found  their 
task  almost  beyond  their  power. 

Severe  suppuration  was  universal,  tetanus 
and  gas-gangrene  were  almost  epidemic  among 
the  wounded,  and  w^hile  the  fate  of  those 
with  penetrating  wounds  of  the  body  was 
almost  assured,  many  died  of  comparatively 
trivial  injuries  for  lack  of  early  and  adequate 
treatment.  The  medical  forces  did  wonder- 
fully and  gallantly,  but  they  were  quite  in- 
adequate and  unprepared  in  either  knowledge 
or  equipment. 

We,  entering  the  war  late,  were  enabled  to 
profit  by  the  experience  of  our  Allies,  so  that 
the  American  soldiers  were  spared  very  many 
things,  and  the  fate  of  the  wounded  was 
changed  beyond  recognition.  Universal  serum 
treatment    almost    did    away    with    tetanus. 


oijarei-Jm' 


■^Wf^:~i^^i.u-^^ 


©     Unilerzi'ood  and   Underwood. 


The  Hospital  Ship  Anglia 

With  a  loss  of  85  lives  this  vessel  of  mercv  sank  in  the  British  Channel  after  strikinsr  a  mine. 


254 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


More  and  more  early  and  energetic  treatment 
of  all  wounds  very  largely  defeated  gas- 
gangrene.  In  our  latest  battles  more  and 
more  of  the  major  operative  work  was  car- 
ried out  in  casualty  clearing  stations  and  ad- 
vanced hospitals  by  surgical  specialists. 
Wounds  were  opened  up,  completely  cleaned, 
and  in  an  increasing  proportion  of  cases, 
closed  completely  and  immediately.  As  a 
consequence  the  men  arrived  at  base  hospitals 
in  England  from  five  to  ten  days  after  being 
wounded,  not  as  previously,  with  profusely 
suppurating  wounds  and  the  prospect  of 
months  of  illness  and  repeated  operations,  but 
with  their  injuries  already  healed  or  healing. 
A  conspicuous  example  of  the  improvement 
which  has  been  effected  is  that  of  wounds  of 
the  knee-joint.  Infection  of  this  joint,  the 
largest  and  most  complex  in  the  body,  has 
been  one  of  the  most  justly   dreaded   events 


in  surgery.  Lately  it  had  been  common  to  find 
in  a  single  ward  six  or  eight  wounded  knee- 
joints  all  recovering,  while  perhaps  two- 
thirds  of  them  will  have  useful  joint-move- 
ment. 

The  secret  of  this  success  has  lain  very 
largely  in  bringing  the  military  surgeon 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  fighting  line,  for, 
in  the  end,  the  only  true  antiseptic  was  that 
furnished  by  the  wounded  man's  own  tissues, 
and  the  more  immediate  the  treatment  the 
better  was  his  chance  of  casting  out  the  in- 
vading organisms  of  disease. 

It  was  toward  assuring  the  wounded  sol- 
dier this  opportunity  that  the  American  Med- 
ical Corps  bent  its  energies ;  it  was  to  this 
end  that  doctors  and  nurses  and  stretcher- 
bearers  went  under  fire  and  died.  And  it 
was  in  achieving  this  purpose  to  a  brilliant 
degree  that  their  eternal  glory  rests. 


Brown  Bros. 


A  Gassed  Soldier  Arriving  at  a  Field  Hospital 


EYES  FOR  THE  BLIND 

How  America  Helped  the  Helpless 


WHEN,  a  few  generations  hence,  the  his- 
torian has  sifted  from  the  enormous 
mass  of  material  at  his  disposal  the  facts 
whereon  to  base  his  impartial  and  dispassion- 
ate review  of  the  conflict  that  convulsed  the 
world  to  its  remotest  confines,  one  of  the 
things  that  will  impress  him  most  will  be  that 
as  quickly  as  unforeseen  and  seemingly  in- 
surmountable difficulties  arose,  means  were  de- 
vised to  overcome  them. 

Certainly  one  of  the  most  perplexing  prob- 
lems of  the  war,  as  it  was  one  of  the  crudest, 
was  that  of  the  soldiers  who  lost  their  sight. 
As  the  human  debris  was  cleared  from  the 
early  battlefields  in  Belgium  and  France  and 
sorted  at  those  ports  of  broken  men,  the  base 
hospitals,  the  great  numbers  of  blinded  gave 
rise  to  a  situation  that  baffled  the  distracted 
governments  struggling,  in  the  midst  of  their 
task  of  raising  and  equipping  mighty  armies, 
to  provide  for  the  ever-growing  host  of 
wounded  victims  flowing  back  in  a  ceaseless 
tide  from  the  fighting  lines. 

In  this  emergency  was  established  the 
British-French-Belgian  Permanent  Blind  Re- 
lief War  Fund.  To  this  title,  when  the 
United  States  entered  the  war,  was  prefixed 
the  word  "American,"  and  later,  to  cover  the 
Fund's  widened  activities,  which  took  in  the 
blinded  warriors  of  eight  nations,  the  name 
was  changed  definitely  to  the  Permanent  Blind 
Relief  War  Fund  for  Soldiers  and  Sailors  of 
the  Allies.  This  wholly  American  institu- 
tion, which  developed  into  the  largest  war  re- 
lief organization  in  the  world  (as  distinguish- 
ed from  war  welfare  agencies),  outside  of  the 
American  Red  Cross,  grew  romantically  out 
of  one  of  the  most  startling  tragedies  of  the 
war — the  torpedoing  of  the  Lusitania  by  the 
Germans. 

On  board  the  liner  was  Mr.  George  A. 
Kessler,  of  New  York.  When  the  great  ves- 
sel went  down,  he  was  drawn  under  with  it, 
but  being   an   expert  swimmer,   succeeded    in 


rising  to  the  surface  and,  after  being  in  the 
water  for  some  time,  was  picked  up  by  six 
sailors  in  a  boat.  Many  hours  later  the  boat 
was  overhauled  by  a  British  trawler,  and  when 
its  occupants,  lying  in  the  bottom  of  it,  were 
lifted  out,  it  was  found  that  all  were  dead 
save  Mr.  Kessler,  who  was  unconscious.  His 
companions,  who,  like  himself,  had  been  wet 
through,  had  succumbed  to  exposure  in  the  bit- 
ter winter  weather.  In  gratitude  to  God  for 
this  miraculous  escape  Mr.  Kessler  and  his 
wife  dedicated  their  lives  to  relief  of  the  war 
sufferers.  Consultation  with  the  French  au- 
thorities disclosed  how  this  help  could  best  be 
rendered,  and  the  Blind  Fund  was  the  re- 
sult. In  their  good  work  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kessler  were  joined  by  Mrs.  R.  Valentine 
Webster,  who  having  lost  in  the  war  her  hus- 
band, a  captain  in  the  British  Army,  also 
resolved  to  devote  her  life  to  the  cause  they 
had  espoused. 

It  is  a  long  remove  from  the  days  of  old 
when  soldiers  blinded  in  the  wars  banded  to- 
gether, by  grace  of  the  state,  and  trailed  their 
common  misery  with  loud  cries  for  alms  along 
the  country  roads  and  became  objects  of  ter- 
ror as  well  as  of  pity  to  the  rustics  of  the 
villages  of  France ;  or  frequented  as  individual 
beggars,  with  other  Lazaruses  in  every  condi- 
tion and  stage  of  deformity  and  disease,  the 
shrines  of  famous  pilgrimages.  Nevertheless, 
no  previous  war  in  history  had  thrust  suddenly 
upon  the  nations  many  thousands  of  men 
wounded  in  the  eyes,  because  in  all  history 
such  vast  armies  had  never  been  hurled  against 
each  other,  and  the  devastating  elements  of 
high  explosives  and  liquid  fire  had  been 
wholly  lacking,  and  just  what  to  do  with 
them,  how  to  make  provision  for  their  wel- 
fare, both  the  civil  and  militarj'^  authorities 
were  at  a  loss  to  know. 

Although  all  available  institutions  in 
France  had  been  requisitioned,  they  were  ut- 
terly  inadequate    to    care   for   these   stricken 


256 


THE  ARMIES  OF  IVIERCY 


This  Blind  Man  Is  Learning  To  Model  In  Clay 


heroes,  helpless  and  suffering  the  extreme  of 
physical  and  mental  agony,  when  the  founders 
of  the  Permanent  Blind  Relief  War  Fund 
investigated  the  situation.  They  returned  to 
the  United  States,  made  known  the  conditions 
prevailing  and  outlined  their  plan  of  recon- 
struction and  rehabilitation  from  which  all 
idea  of  charity  was  eliminated,  and  which  was 
designed  to  turn  these  hopeless,  despairing 
wrecks  of  men  into  self-reliant,  self-respecting 
and  contented  members  of  the  community, 
equipped  and  able  to  earn  a  good  living  for 
themselves  and  their  families.  This  work  of 
constructive  mercy  appealed  instantly  to  the 
pity  and  practical  sense  of  the  American  peo- 
ple, who  came  forward  with  generous  sup- 
port. Thus  the  Fund  was  founded,  with 
headquarters  at  590  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York, 
and  branch  offices  at  75  Avenues  des  Champs- 
£lysees,  Paris. 

From  the  spring  of  19 16,  when  it  began  its 
activities,  to  May,  19 19,  the  Fund  raised 
more  than  $1,500,000.     Many  men  eminent 


internationally  in  law,  business  and  finance 
gave  their  services  as  executives  and  as  mem- 
bers of  the  controlling  committees,  as  will 
be  seen  from  the  following  list: 

Executive  Committee. — George  Alexander  Kessler, 
Chairman;  Vincent  Astor,  Edmund  L.  Baylies,  August 
Belmont,  George  Bluinenthal,  Otto  H.  Kahn.  Chauncey 
McCormick,  Sir  Arthur  Pearson,  Whitney  Warren  and 
Joseph   Widener. 

Honorary  Advisory  Committee. — William  Nelson  Crom- 
well.  Chairman,   and  Hon.    Elihu   Root. 

Honorary  Treasurers. — Sir  Edward  Holden,  Chairman 
London  City  and  Midland  Bank;  George  Pallain,  Gov- 
ernor-General of  the  Bank  of  France;  Eugene  V.  R. 
Thayer,    President,    Chase    National    Bank,    New    York. 

Honorary  Secretaries. — Mrs.  George  A.  Kessler,  Mrs. 
R.    Valentine    Webster   and    !Mrs.    Harry   Payne    W'liitney. 

British  Committee. — Sir  Arthur  Pearson,  Chairman, 
President  of  St.  Dunstan's  and  of  the  Committee  of  the 
National   Institute   for  the  Blind,  London. 

French  Committee. — Eugene  Brieux  of  the  Academic 
Frangaise,  President;  Louis  Barthou,  former  President 
of  the  Council  of  Ministers;  General  Florentin,  Grand 
Chancellor  of  the  Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honor;  Justin 
Godart.  Deputy  for  Lyons;  M.  Morel,  Governor  of  the 
Credit  Foncier  de  France,  Treasurer;  M.  Ribes-Christofle, 
President  of  the  Paris  Chamber  of  Commerce;  Eugene 
Schneider,  head  of  the  great  Creusot  ordnance  works, 
and  Dr.  Valude,  Chief  Surgeon  of  I'Hospice  National 
des   Quinze-Vingts. 

As  the  need  for  them  developed,  five  main 
sections  of  the  Fund  were  established.  They 
were  the  American  Section,  under  the  patron- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


257 


age  of  President  Woodrow  Wilson ;  the 
British  Section,  under  the  patronage  of  King 
George,  Queen  Mary  and  Dowager  Queen 
Alexandra;  the  French  Section,  under  the 
patronage  of  President  Raymond  Poincare; 
the  Belgian  Section,  under  the  patronage  of 
King  Albert  and  Queen  Elizabeth ;  the  Ital- 
ian Section,  under  the  patronage  of  King  Vic- 
tor Emanuel  and  Queen  Elena. 

As  already  has  been  stated,  the  Fund  helped 
the  sightless  soldiers  of  eight  nations — Amer- 
ica, Great  Britain,  France,  Belgium,  Italy, 
Serbia,  Rumania  and  Portugal — and  it  pur- 
posed to  continue  this  help  until  the  last  man 
had  been  placed  on  his  feet  and  his  future 
assured. 

It  established  in  France  under  the  admin- 
istrative direction  of  the  French  government 
and  French  Army  authorities,  the  following 
institutions: 


Hostel  for  Blinded  Officers  and  Soldiers, 
Chateau  de  Madrid,  Bois  de  Boulogne,  Paris ; 
Superior  and  Industrial  School  for  Blinded 
Officers  and  Soldiers,  27  Boulevard  Victor 
Hugo,  Neuilly,  near  Paris,  where  all  kinds  of 
professions  and  trades  were  taught ;  Bookbind- 
ing School,  35  Boulevard  du  Chateau,  Neuil- 
ly; Raw  Material  Depot,  31  Boulevard  Rich- 
ard Wallace,  Neuilly,  from  which  upwards  of 
500  graduates  from  institutions  for  the  blind 
and  residing  in  all  parts  of  France  were  sup- 
plied at  cost  with  materials  for  their  trades 
which  otherwise  they  would  have  been  unable 
to  procure;  Home  for  Blinded  Soldiers  and 
Their  Families  from  the  Devastated  Regions, 
La  Garenne-Colombes,  near  Paris;  La  Roue 
(The  Wheel)  Braille  printing  office  and  li- 
brary, 75  Avenues  des  Champs-Elysees,  Paris, 
which  by  1919  had  turned  out  upwards  of 
9,000  books  of  instruction  and  recreation  for 


Operating  on  a  Soldier's  Eyes 


vjj     Broicn  Bros. 


By  the  skill  of  our  surgeons  many  soldiers  who  believed  themselves  permanently  blinded  in  bat- 
tle recovered  their  eyesight. 


258 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


the  benefit  of  blinded  soldiers  everywhere; 
Home  and  Training  School  for  Blinded  Bel- 
gian Soldiers,  Port  Villez,  near  Verdun,  es- 
tablished at  the  request  of  the  Belgian  gov- 
ernment; Chateau  de  la  Tour,  Rochecorbon, 
near  Tours,  and  Brieux  Estate,  near  Chartres, 
placed  at  the  Fund's  disposal  by  its  owner. 

After  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  when  it 
became  possible  to  determine  the  extent  of  the 
conflict's  aftermath  of  suffering  and  of  crip- 
pled and  broken  lives,  the  Fund  was  able  to 
give  up  the  Chateau  de  Madrid,  the  institu- 
tion at  La  Garcnne-Colombes,  the  Chateau 
de  la  Tour,  and  the  Brieux  Estate.  The  other 
institutions  were  still  maintained.  All  the  in- 
mates were  French,  with  the  exception  of 
those  in  the  training  school  for  Belgians  at 
Port  Villez. 

On  leaving  the  training  schools,  each  pupil 
was  outfitted  with  the  tools,  or  machinery, 
and   raw   materials   necessary   to   give   him   a 


good  start  on  his  own  account  in  the  trade  he 
had  chosen,  and  his  rent  was  paid  for  a  year. 
In  the  case  of  those  whose  intellectual  dispo- 
sitions unfitted  them  for  manual  tasks  and 
who  had  been  reeducated  to  carry  on  their 
pre-war  professions,  or  as  stenographers,  typ- 
ists, insurance  agents,  telephone  operators, 
school  teachers,  etc.,  their  rent  also  was  paid 
for  one  year  and  good  places  obtained  for 
them.  For  soldiers  w^ho  had  lost  limbs  in  ad- 
dition to  their  sight,  and,  therefore,  were 
for  the  most  part  utterly  helpless,  the  Fund, 
through  the  generosity  of  individual  Ameri- 
cans, provided  for  each  victim  $250  yearly 
for  life  to  round  out  his  small  pension.  By 
the  same  means,  it  purchased  for  every  mu- 
tilated blinded  soldier  a  cottage  so  that  he 
would  be  assured  of  a  home  with  modest  com- 
fort for  the  rest  of  his  days. 

As  far  as  our  own  American  boys  were  con- 
cerned, their  number,  fortunately,  was  few — 


U       Underii.'ouU    una     i  inU'liVi 


Italian  Fiesta  For  Blind  Relief  Fund 

Scene  at  the  Fair  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Permanent  Blind  Relief  War  Fund  at  the  New 

York  Public  Library,  Fifth  Avenue  and  Forty-second  street,  New  York  Citv. 

VII— 17 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


259 


Blind  Soldiers  Making  Baskets  Under  the  Allied  War  Relief. 


less  than  two  hundred  all  told.  They  were 
cared  for  and  rehabilitated  by  the  Red  Cross 
Institute  for  the  Blind  under  the  direction  of 
Lieutenant  Colonel  James  Bordley,  represent- 
ing the  Surgeon  General's  Department  of  the 
Army.  To  this  Institute,  the  Permanent 
Blind  Relief  War  Fund  contributed  $100,- 
000.  It  also  rendered  aid  at  the  base  hospitals 
at  the  front  by  providing  appliances  and  equip- 
ment w'hich  were  greatly  needed,  and  by  send- 
ing a  member  of  its  staff,  himself  blind,  as  an 
instructor. 

The  British  blinded  have,  since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war,  been  cared  for  at  St.  Dun- 
stan's,  the  London  estate  of  Mr.  Otto  H. 
Kahn,  a  member  of  the  Permanent  Blind  Re- 
lief War  Fund  Finance  Committee,  who 
placed  unreservedly  this  fine  property  at  the 
disposal  of  Sir  Arthur  Pearson  for  the  pur- 
poses of  a  training  school.  From  the  begin- 
ning of  its  activities  the  Permanent  Blind  Re- 
lief War  Fund  was  a  contributor  to  St.  Dun- 
stan's,  a  certain  portion  of  all  collections  being 
donated  each  year. 


In  Italy,  there  were  800  blinded  soldiers  to 
be  reeducated  and  sent  home  fully  outfitted, 
and  the  Fund  cabled  100,000  lire  to  King 
Victor  Emanuel  for  rehabilitation  work,  as 
the  first  instalment  of  1,500,000  lire  it  was 
asked  to  furnish.  There  was  the  same  lack 
of  accommodation  for  the  blind  men  in  Italy 
as  formerly  W'as  found  in  France,  and  the 
Fund's  desire  was  to  establish  an  up-to-date 
training  institution  there,  conducted  on  the 
lines  that  proved  so  successful  in  Paris  and 
London. 

For  Serbia,  arrangements  were  made  to 
care  for  the  blinded  warriors  of  that  nation 
at  Bizerta,  the  great  French  naval  port  in 
Tunis,  as  they  were  gathered  in  from  the 
mountain  fastnesses  in  which  the  fighting  in 
their  unfortunate  country  occurred.  The 
Fund  established  training  quarters  for  them 
at  Belgrade  under  the  direction  of  Miss  Mar- 
garet S.  McFie,  of  the  British  Serbian  Re- 
lief Fund.  For  this  purpose,  a  first  sum  of 
$16,000  was  appropriated. 

For  Rumania,  the  Fund,  in  response  to  an 


26o 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


urgent  appeal  for  help,  donated  for  immediate 
necessities  a  preliminary  sum  of  2,ooo  francs. 
On  April  15,  19 19,  Queen  Marie  visited 
the  Superior  and  Industrial  School  at  Neuilly, 
and  was  presented  on  behalf  of  the  Fund  by 
Mr.  George  A,  Kessler,  as  Chairman  of  the 
Executive  Committee,  and  Mr.  William  Nel- 
son Cromwell,  as  Chairman  of  the  Advisory 
Committee,  with  a  casket  containing  200,000 
lei  (approximately  $15,000  at  current  ex- 
change rates)  as  a  first  substantial  donation 
for  the  rehabilitation  of  the  blinded  soldiers 
of  that  nation.  This  money  was  expended 
under  the  capable  personal  direction  of  the 
Queen, 

Because  of  its  connections  throughout  the 
Allied  world,  King  George  in  December, 
1918,  selected  the  Permanent  Blind  Relief 
War  Fund  as  the  medium  through  which  to 
send  to  the  sightless  soldiers  of  the  Continen- 
tal Allies  a  message  of  gratitude  and  encour- 
agement in  French  Braille.  The  message 
was  in  the  form  of  an  attractive  booklet  with 
embossed  portraits  of  King  George  and  Queen 
Mary. 

The  tremendous  problem  of  the  blinded  sol- 
diers still  remained  to  be  solved  after  the  con- 
flict was  ended,  for,  according  to  Allied  esti- 
mate, about  7,000  soldiers — more  than  half 
of  them  French — lost  their  eyes,  and  this  num- 
ber was  expected  to  be  increased  30  per  cent. 


by  men  who  had  already  lost  one  eye  and  by 
others  suffering  from  wounds  in  the  head. 
As  far  as  the  Permanent  Blind  Relief  War 
Fund  was  concerned,  its  duty  to  those  it  had 
undertaken  to  care  for  was  assured  to  the 
very  end  by  the  establishment  of  an  After- 
Care  Fund,  involving  the  elements  of  per- 
manency indicated  in  the  title  of  the* organi- 
zation. 

The  absolute  necessity  for  this  was  insisted 
upon  by  Miss  Helen  Keller,  the  blind  author 
and  poet,  whose  life  was  one  long  fight  against 
her  terrible  handicaps,  and  by  other  experts 
who  had  made  an  exhaustive  study  of  the  sub- 
ject. While  its  wards  left  the  Fund's  Insti- 
tutions with  stout  hearts  and  full  of  hope  and 
resolution,  experience  showed  that  they  need- 
ed discreet  supervision  throughout  their  lives, 
and  the  tender  solicitude,  advice,  and  moral 
support  through  inevitable  periods  of  discour- 
agement that  only  those  who,  with  under- 
standing and  devotion,  had  dedicated  their 
lives  to  the  cause  could  give.  This  they  pur- 
posed to  do  as  a  sacred  duty  not  only  to  the 
men  who  sacrificed  their  sight  to  save  their 
loved  ones,  and  ours,  from  a  fate  far  worse 
than  death,  and  that  democracy  might  not 
perish  from  the  earth,  but  to  the  American 
public,  whose  generosity  made  possible  this  re- 
lief on  such  a  scale  and  with  such  splendid 
results. 


The  Red  Cross  Sledge 

This  was  used  by  the  British  forces  in  the  Mesopotamia  desert. 


©     Underwood  and    Underwood. 


THE  Y.  M.  C.  A.  AiND  THE  A.  E.  F. 

The  "Y"  Stuck  Close  to  the  Doughboy 


ITT" HEN   the  war-bolt   fell,   it   found   the 
VV     American  Army  and  Navy  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

serving  the  men  of  the  Army,  Navy  and 
Marine  Corps  at  33  permanent  posts  and 
stations  throughout  the  United  States,  and 
at  20  temporary  units,  which  remained  of  the 
1916  mobilization  work,  along  the  Mexican 
border. 

On  April  6,  191 7,  the  very  day  that  the 
United  States  declared  itself  at  war  with  the 
German  Empire,  Dr.  John  R.  Mott,  General 
Secretary,  made  to  President  Wilson,  by  tele- 
graph, a  formal  proffer  of  the  support  of  the 
American  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions. The  proffer  was  immediately  accepted, 
and  acceptance  confirmed  in  orders  issued  by 
the  Army  and  Navy,  following  conferences 
with  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy. 

Four  days  after  the  United  States  entered 
the  war,  in  order  to  make  the  "Y"  the  largest 
possible  service  to  the  country  and  to  her 
sons  in  this  national  emergency,  a  special  con- 
vention of  American  Association  leaders  was 
summoned,  at  Garden  City,  Long  Island, 
N.  Y.  The  gathering  of  secretaries  at  Garden 
City  recommended  to  the  International  Com- 
mittee the  formation  of  a  National  War  Work 
Council.  At  its  April  meeting  the  Inter- 
national Committee  appointed  a  Council  of 
150  representative  laymen. 

Before  the  first  American  troops  arrived  in 
France,  D.  A.  Davis,  the  American  General 
Secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A,  working  with 
the  Allied  armies  and  for  prisoners  of  war 
in  France,  under  the  direction  of  the  Inter- 
national Committee  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Associations  of  North  America,  had 
organized  in  Paris  a  committee  of  American 
business  men  to  care  for  Americans  attached 
to  the  various  ambulance  units  and  similar 
organizations. 

On  May  29th  the  National  War  Work 
Council  cabled   to  Mr.  Davis  at  Paris,   and 


to  E.  C.  Carter  at  London,  directing  them 
to  initiate  the  work  for  the  American  Expe- 
ditionary Forces. 

After  making  arrangements  for  securing  on 
the  Strand  in  London  a  great  building  to 
serve  as  the  center  for  our  men  in  the  capital 
city  of  the  United  Kingdom,  the  famous 
Eagle  Hut,  where  the  King  and  Queen  of 
England  ate  pancakes  and  maple  syrup  with 
American  doughboys  and  jackies,  Mr.  Carter 
went  to  Paris  on  June  8th,  and  the  first 
A.  E.  F.,  Y.  IVI.  C.  A.  headquarters  were 
opened  on  June  12th  at  No.  31  Avenue  Mon- 
taigne, two  weeks  before  the  first  American 
Regulars  landed  on  French  soil,  at  St. 
Nazaire. 

The  services  of  several  American  "Y"  men 
who  had  been  working  with  the  French  and 
British  armies  were  secured,  and  as  the  first 
steel-gray  American  transports,  not  yet  gro- 
tesquely camouflaged,  warped  into  the  French 
harbor  of  St.  Nazaire  on  June  24th,  Ameri- 
can "Y^'  secretaries  were  on  the  docks  to 
meet  the  United  States  Regulars  of  the 
famous  1st  Division,  A.  E.  F.  They  were 
the  only  American  war  welfare  workers  then 
in  France,  excepting  the  American  Red  Cross 
representatives. 

On  that  memorable  July  4,  191 7,  twenty 
"Y"  secretaries  arrived  in  France  from 
America.  These  formed  the  nucleus  of  the 
later  great  staff  of  patriotic  American  men 
and  women  volunteers,  a  total  personnel  of 
12,408,  of  whom  82  laid  down  their  lives 
in  foreign  lands  serving  under  the  Red 
Triangle. 

When  the  first  American  troops  arrived  at 
Camp  Borden,  Hants,  England,  July  15, 
191 7,  four  American  "Y"  men  were  awaiting 
them,  ordered  there  by  Chief  Secretary  Car- 
ter. Again  the  American  Y.  IVI.  C.  A.  was 
first  to  ser\^e! 

Following  the  proffer  of  the  services  of  the 
Y.   M.   C.  A.  by  Dr.   Mott,  and  the  accep- 


262 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


tance  by  President  Wilson  in  a  special  Execu- 
tive Order  issued  from  the  White  House 
April  28,  191 7,  General  Order  No.  57  of 
the  War  Department  was  issued  May  9, 
1917. 


I.— GENERAL    ORDERS     WAR     DEPARTMENT, 
WASHINGTON 

War    Department,    Washington, 

May  9,    19 1 7. 
"General   Orders.    No.    57. 

"II. — The  follcwing^  Order  by  the  President,  issued 
April  26,  7917,  is  published  to  the  Army  for  the  in- 
formation and  guidance  of  all  concerned: — 


permanent  posts  and  stations,  and  in  camps  and  field. 
To  this  end  attention  of  officers  is  called  to  the  precedent 
and  policy  already  established  in: 

"(i)  An  Act.  approved  May  31.  1902,  giving  au- 
thority to  the  Secretary  of  War  to  grant  permission  by 
revocable  license  for  the  erection  and  maintenance  of 
Association  buildings  on  military  reservations  for  the 
promotion  of  the  social,  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral 
welfare   of  enlisted  men. 

"(2)  An  Act  of  Congress  making  appropriation  for  the 
Army  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  191 1,  and  re- 
ferred to  in  General  Orders,  No.  54,  War  Department, 
1910,  wherein  the  furnishing  of  heat  and  light  for  the 
above    mentioned   buildings   was   authorized. 

"(3)  General  Orders,  No.  39.  War  Department,  1914 
(paragraph  80,  Compilation  of  Orders.  1881-1915),  where- 
in comniandincr  officers  were  enjoined  (a)  to  provide  all 
proper  facilities  practicable  to  aid  the  Association;  (b) 
to  assign  suitable  sites;  (c)  to  supply  transportation  for 
Association  tentage   and  equipment;    (d)   to  care   for  and 


©     Underwood  and  Underuvod. 

This  Gymnasium   Became   a   Soldiers'   Sleeping  Quarters 

The  Gymnasium  of  the  Central  V.  M.  C.  A.  of  Chicago  made  a  large  and  airy  dormitory.    Scene 

just  before  taps. 


"The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has,  in  the 
present  eniergencj',  as  under  similar  circumstances  in 
the  past,  tendered  its  services  for  the  benefit  of  en- 
listed men  in  both  arms  of  the  service.  This  organiza- 
tion is  prepared  by  experience,  approved  methods,  and 
assured  resources  to  serve  especially  the  troops  in  camp 
and  field.  It  seems  best  for  the  interest  of  the  service 
that  it  shall  continue  as  a  voluntary  civilian  organization, 
however,  the  results  obtained  are  so  beneficial  and  bear 
such  a  direct  relation  to  efficiency,  inasmuch  as  the  Asso- 
ciation provision  contributes  to  the  happiness,  content, 
and  morale  of  the  personnel,  that  in  order  to  unify 
the  civilian  betterment  activities  in  the  Army  and  further 
the  work  of  the  organization  that  has  demonstrated  its 
ability  to  render  a  service  desired  by  both  officers  and 
men,  official  recognition  is  hereby  given  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  .Association  as  a  valuable  adjunct  and 
asset  to  the  service.  Officers  are  enjoined  to  render  the 
fullest  practicable  assistance  and  co-operation  in  the 
maintenance    and   extension    of    the    Association,    both    at 


police  Association  tents  and  grounds;  fe)  to  accord 
accredited  secretaries  the  privilege  of  the  purchase  of 
supplies  from  the  Quartermaster's  Department;  (f)  to 
furnish    where    practicable,    tentage    and    shelter. 

"Bv  Order  of  the    Secretary   of  War, 
"Official: 

"H.  P.   McC.\i.s-,  the  Adjutant-General." 

It  was  found  that  service  in  Europe  made 
many  demands  as  new  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  as 
they  were  to  the  Army  itself,  if  the  Associa- 
tion was  to  render  the  aid  which  it  was  eager 
to  give  and  which  was  expected  of  it  by  the 
government. 


THE  ARAITES  OF  MERCY 


263 


At  the  very  beginning  it  was  necessary  to 
provide:  men  and  women  to  plan,  direct  and 
execute  the  operations;  entertainers,  lecturers 
and  speakers  on  religious  and  general  topics; 
huts,  tents  and  rented  buildings  in  which  to 
operate;  tables,  chairs,  benches  and  decora- 
tions for  the  buildings;  athletic  supplies, 
pianos  and  other  musical  instruments,  mov- 
ing picture  machines  and  films,  books,  maga- 


"provide  for  the  amusement  and  recreation  of 
the  troops  by  means  of  its  usual  program  of 
social,  educational,  physical  and  religious 
activities." 

The  whole  purpose  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was 
to  increase  the  militar}'  efficiency  and  striking 
power  of  the  soldier.  Nothing  was  under- 
taken which  was  not  believed  to  have  a  direct 
bearing  on  strengthening  morale. 


©     Underviood  and   U nderiuood. 


Hospital  Unit  of  the  Brooklyn  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

These  young  fellows  were  instructed  in   all  that  pertained  to  base  hospital  work.     Fifty  of  them 

went    with    the    First    Naval    Base    Hospital    to    France. 


zines,  games,  letter  paper,  envelopes  and  pos- 
tal cards;  facilities  for  distribution  of  supplies 
for  the  two  million  men  of  the  Army,  to  the 
widely-separated  points  resulting  from  the 
operations  of  an  army  in  war  time,  in  foreign 
fields. 

Recreation  work  was  already  well  under 
way  in  Paris,  Brest,  St.  Nazaire,  Valdahon, 
Avord  and  the  Gondrecourt  Area  when  on 
August  28,  191 7,  General  Order  No.  26  was 
issued  by  General  Pershing  prescribing  the 
sphere  of  activity  of  the  Association  to  be  to 


Reviewing  the  work  done  by  welfare  organ- 
izations during  the  war.  Secretary  of  War 
Baker,  in  an  address  at  Washington  on  May 
16,  191 9,  said: 

"The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  by  reason  of  its  longer 
establishment  and  larger  experience  and  its 
larger  facilities,  had  the  greater  part  of  this 
work  to  do,  especially  abroad. 

"So  in  a  certain  way  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
has  represented  the  heart  of  America  and  has 
carried  to  soldiers  abroad  our  affections  and 
our  ideals  for  them.     When  we  survey  this 


264 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


superb  army  which  is  now  coming  home,  with 
its  broadened  shoulders,  bronzed  cheeks,  ro- 
bust health,  splendid  nerve  and  the  high  spirit 
which  comes  with  great  accomplishment,  we 
must  remember  that  among  the  formative  in- 
fluences that  went  into  it  and  made  it  possible 
was  this  social  spirit  which  was  carried  from 
home  to  the  front-line  trenches,  which  shared 
the  privations  and  dangers  and  which  was  an 


"Where  is  the  'Y'?"  This  same  soldier,  in  his 
first  leisure  moment,  sought  the  hut  adorned 
with  the  familiar  Red  Triangle.  He  often 
found  a  building  which  reminded  him  of  an 
army  barrack,  a  large,  long,  commodious 
wooden  building.  Sometimes  he  found  only  a 
tent.  Or  the  Red  Triangle  was  discovered 
over  a  dugout  or  the  ruins  of  an  old  chateau, 
a  barn,  a  requisitioned  cafe,  or  a  cellar. 


The  Eagle  Hut  on  the  Strand,  London 

This  was  the  largest  of  all  Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings. 


integral  part  of  the  Army;  for  in  'No  Man's 
Land'  where  the  shells  flew  thick  and  fast 
there  are  the  graves  of  the  American  soldiers 
and  the  graves  of  the  *Y'  workers  side  by 
side ;  not  separated  in  their  work,  not  sep- 
arated in  their  faith,  not  separated  in  their 
spirit,  not  separated  in  their  sacrifice;  finally 
united  in  their  last  resting  place." 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hut  was  the  headquarters 
of  activities  at  hundreds  of  points  where  the 
troops  were  stationed.  The  soldier  arriving 
in   a   new  location  had   the  habit  of  asking, 


At  or  near  the  front,  large  buildings  or 
even  commodious  dugouts  were  a  military 
impossibility,  for  any  large  gathering  of  sol- 
diers was  inevitably  a  target  for  the  German 
guns.  Again  and  again,  even  the  serving  of 
hot  drinks  had  to  be  prohibited  because  the 
small,  curling  column  of  smoke  drew  the 
enemy's  fire. 

A  Red  Triangle  staff,  varying  from  25  to 
75  workers,  was  attached  to  each  combat 
division  of  the  A.  E.  F.  throughout  nearly  the 
entire   period   of  operations.     This  staff  and 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


265 


their  equipment  moved  whenever  the  division 
moved,  often  at  a  moment's  notice. 

Some  idea  of  the  difficulties  surrounding  the 
hut  service  can  be  gained  from  the  fact  that 
for  each  of  the  several  oldest  divisions  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  in  a  period  of  eighteen  months, 
opened  and  closed  between  500  and  600  Asso- 
ciation centers,  in  order  to  provide  at  all 
times  30  or  40  huts  for  each  division.  Thou- 
sands of  huts  were  opened  for  periods  of 
from  five  days  to  five  weeks,  only  to  be  closed 
when  the  troops  moved. 

Whether  the  hut  was  a  more  pretentious 
place  or  a  dugout,  it  was  always  a  place  where 


cost.  There  were  religious  services  open  to 
all  faiths.  The  Roman  Catholic  Mass  was 
celebrated  or  the  Jewish  Holy  Day  observed 
from  the  hut  platform  used  at  another  time 
for  a  Protestant  service.  There  was  usually 
a  good  supply  of  religious  books  and  pam- 
phlets. Whenever  possible,  musical  instru- 
ments were  provided  for  the  use  of  individu- 
als and  for  soldier  musical  organizations, 
brass,  jazz  or  orchestra,  with  instructors  and 
leaders. 

There  was  never  any  charge  for  services 
or  supplies,  excepting  for  articles  which  were 
part  of  the  post  exchange  or  canteen  stocks. 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  Eagle  Hut,  Bryant  Park,  New  York 


good  cheer  was  dispensed.  In  the  more  per- 
manent locations  the  soldier  made  it  his  club, 
the  place  where  he  could  play  checkers,  talk 
of  his  home  town  and  his  people,  read  the 
magazines,  write  letters  to  his  family,  send 
home  his  money,  and  secure  the  small  things 
which  made  life  worth  living  in  a  foreign 
country  under  war  conditions,  when  home- 
sickness is  the  lot  of  many. 

These  huts  had  circulating  libraries,  reg- 
ular programs  of  music,  theatrical  entertain- 
ments, moving  pictures,  lectures  on  many  sub- 
jects, opportunity  for  the  study  of  French 
and  other  educational  facilities,  and  athletics 
under  specialized  leaders,  with  all  the  equip- 
ment   and    entertainment    furnished    free    of 


The  Army  orders  by  which  the  first  exchange 
was  established  demanded  that  it  be  self- 
supporting.  No  profit  was  made  from  the 
sale  of  the  goods,  above  the  actual  cost,  plus 
the  cost  of  their  transportation  by  ocean  and 
on  land. 

During  all  these  months  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
was  called  upon  to  establish  or  later  to  assist 
in  operating  programs  in  education,  athletics 
and  entertainment  for  the  entire  American 
Expeditionary  Force,  including  men  in  leave 
areas.  Noted  educators  of  this  country  were 
recruited  as  workers,  and  after  the  signing 
of  the  armistice  the  whole  American  Army 
was  a  school,  ranging  from  those  learning  to 
read  and  write  to  those  given  an  opportunity 


266 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


to  keep  on  with  vocational  training  or  college 
courses. 

Out  of  the  entertainment  work  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  came  a  project  for  recruiting 
talent  from  the  ranks  of  the  soldiers  for  the- 
atrical troupes  and  entertainment  units.  These 
units  were  coached  and  managed  b}'  volunteer 
professional  Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers,  and  were 
routed  with  careful  attention  to  detail 
through  the  various  sectors  occupied  by  the 
Army. 

The   athletic   programs   were   prepared   by 


the  athletic  experts  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and 
as  results  many  millions  of  soldiers  were  en- 
gaged in  all  sorts  of  athletic  sports,  from 
boxing  and  football,  tennis  and  handball,  to 
the  more  pretentious  mass  games  in  which 
many  hundreds  were  participants. 

For  all  these  activities  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
furnished  free  text  books,  pamphlets,  lec- 
turers, teachers,  physical  directors,  athletic 
supplies,  theatrical  talent,  theaters,  plays,  cos- 
tumes, musical  instruments  and  other  supplies 
and  paraphernalia. 


THE  RED  TRIANGLE  PERSONNEL 

The  Men  and  Women  Who  Served 


BEGINNING  in  July,  191 7,  12,428  "Y" 
workers,  men  and  women,  were  sent 
overseas  by  the  War  Personnel  Board  for 
service  in  all  the  various  departments  of  the 
Army  and  Navy  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  in  France, 
Italy,  the  United  Kingdom,  and  elsewhere. 
They  were  recruited  from  every  section  of 
the  United  States  and  every  walk  of  life, 
hurriedly  assembled  for  Red  Triangle  ser- 
vice, as  the  youth  of  America  was  hurriedly 
mustered  into  service  that  the  world  might 
be  made  safe  for  democracy. 

These  "Y"  men  and  women,  clad  in  mili- 
tary uniforms,  were  the  final  selections  from 
approximately  150,000  persons  who  responded 
to  the  various  calls  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  for 
volunteers.  The  acceptance  of  workers  was 
made  only  after  the  most  complete  investiga- 
tion as  to  the  moral  character  and  the  fitness 
of  each  individual.  Before  being  sent  over- 
seas, each  "Y"  worker  was  subjected  to  a 
special  and  independent  investigation  by  the 
United  States  Government. 

The  call  for  Red  Triangle  workers  was 
issued  while  the  government  was  urging  the 
young  men  of  the  country  to  join  the  Army 
or  Navy.  It  was  found  that  a  vast  majority 
of  men  who  had  not  been  inducted  into  the 
ranks  of  the  Army  or  enlisted  In  the  Navy 
could  ill  be  spared  by  their  dependents.  Over 
half  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretaries  serv- 
ing   in    peace-time   work    of   the   Association 


had  joined  the  armed  forces  of  the  nation. 
Service  with  the  Association  in  war  work  was 
voluntary,  of  course.  All  workers  were  asked 
to  give  the  maximum  of  service  without  pay. 
In  most  cases  this  involved  financial  sacrifice. 
Home  allowances  for  the  support  of  families 
and  dependents  were  based  on  actual  needs  of 
the  individual  case  and  averaged  about  $100 
a  month. 

Excepting  in  a  few  cases,  the  age  restriction 
was  soon  placed  at  fifty  years,  based  on 
actual  experiences  with  workers  in  the  earlier 
months. 

During  the  entire  period  of  the  work  more 
than  1,700  ministers  entered  the  overseas 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  work.  Hundreds  of  these  vol- 
unteered for  such  active  assignments  as 
motor-car  driving,  warehouse  service,  and 
field  work.  Bankers  were  found  in  every 
department  of  the  "Y."  Doctors  and  lawyers 
were  among  the  successful  field  and  hut  secre- 
taries. There  were  piano-tuners,  undertakers, 
insurance  men,  hotel  men,  newspaper-writers, 
editors,  policemen,  railroad  men,  real-estate 
dealers,  hundreds  of  teachers  and  former  "Y" 
secretaries.  There  were  men  off  the  farms, 
and  from  the  highest  places  In  the  church. 
In  one  sector  a  minister  was  chosen,  because 
of  his  ability  In  figures,  to  take  charge  of  a 
department,  which  he  handled  with  success, 
while  one  of  his  parishioners,  a  chemist,  was 
cited   in   orders   for  work  as  acting  chaplain 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


.  267 


of  a  regiment  and  for  bravery  under  fire 
while  giving  proper  burial  to  those  who  fell 
<;n  the  field  of  battle. 

In  another  sector,  during  the  combat  period, 
a  probate  judge  ran  a  canteen,  assisted  by  a 
rancher.  Their  goods  were  supplied  by  a 
clergyman  acting  as  a  motor-truck  driver, 
whose  assistant  was  a  floorwalker  from  a  Cal- 
ifornia dry-goods  store.  They  received  their 
goods  from  a  banker  whose  warehouse  supe- 
rior was  a  teacher! 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers  were  with  the  troops 
to  serve  them  regardless  of  condition.  The 
work  in  itself  often  entailed  serious  hardships 
and  long  hours  of  intensive  labor.  "Y"  sec- 
retaries were  noncombatants,  yet  about  two 
hundred  were  wounded  by  shell-fire  or  gassed, 
and  hundreds  returned  home  shattered  in 
health  from  exposure  and  hardships.  Thir- 
teen were  killed  on  the  front  lines,  and  eighty- 
one,  all  told,  gave  their  lives  in  the  service 
for  which  they  had  volunteered. 


WOMEN'S  WORK  IN  THE  OVERSEAS  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  First  Women,  Except  Nurses,  to  Go  to  War 


PERHAPS  the  most  novel  figure  in  all  the 
American  Army  was  the  Woman  in 
Blue  and  Gray,  the  "Y"  secretary.  There 
had  been  Army  nurses,  but  beyond  this  the 
use  of  women  during  war  was  unknown, 
before  19 14. 

There  were  two  views  of  the  needs  of  the 
American  soldier  in  France.  One  was  given 
by  the  French  officer  who  said,  "You  Ameri- 
cans are  going  to  need  much  stricter  disci- 
pline than  either  the  French  or  the  British. 
Our  people  are  used  to  military  life;  to  your 
men  it  is  new  and  moreover,  while  we  are 
held  by  the  traditions  of  our  country,  your 
troops  are  set  in  a  strange  land,  robbed  of  all 
the  safeguards  of  home."  A  French  woman's 
comment  was,  "You  American  welfare  work- 
ers must  do  all  you  can  for  your  soldiers. 
They  are  going  to  be  so  lonely  in  this  foreign 
countr3%" 

The  service  of  the  American  women  in  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  an  answer  to  this  second 
remark  and  that  the  advice  was  wise  was 
proved  by  the  success  of  the  women's  work. 

The  British  Association  had  been  using 
women  in  its  huts  almost  throughout  the  war, 
but  the  work  was  simpler,  since  the  British 
soldier  could  return  to  England  for  his  fur- 
loughs and  for  his  hospital  treatment.  In 
July,  191 7,  there  Avas  sent  to  the  United 
States  a  request  for  women  workers.  Before 
September,  a  small  group  of  volunteers, 
mainly  American  women  already  in   France, 


had  begun  work  in  Paris  and  in  Bordeaux, 
these  two  points  being  under  the  leadership  of 
Mrs.  Vincent  Astor  and  Mrs.  Theodore 
Roosevelt,  Jr.  Early  in  September  came  two 
more  women  from  America,  Miss  Gertrude 
Ely  and  Miss  Martha  McCook,  armed  for 
their  pioneer  work  wnth  three  victrolas,  a 
quantity  of  popular  music  and  a  "tin  Lizzie." 
With  them  started  the  Women's  Department 
at  the  Paris  Headquarters.  At  the  same  time 
arrangements  were  made  for  recruiting  in  the 
United  States.  In  September,  the  first  hut 
with  the  Army  was  opened  at  IVIailly,  on  the 
old  battlefield  of  the  Marne,  and  here  the 
women  proved  so  quickly  the  value  of  their 
work  that  the  only  question  thereafter  was 
how  to  get  enough  of  the  right  type  of 
workers  for  the  service. 

The  Alumna?  Associations  of  the  country 
were  appealed  to  and  they  sent  of  their  best — 
Smith,  Wellesley,  Barnard,  Vassar,  Newcomb 
and  Wells — and  supported  units  as  their 
special  representatives.  The  Junior  League 
chose  women  from  all  over  the  land,  pnd 
finally  the  General  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs  sent  one  hundred  women,  two  from 
every  State  in  the  Union. 

In  November,  igi8,  the  Army's  demand 
for  women  hut  secretaries  was  so  great  that  a 
call  was  sent  for  twelve  hundred  more  to  help 
the  men  through  the  trying  period  that  was 
to  come  after  the  armistice.  When  the  order 
for  demobilization  came  in  June,   19 19,  there 


268 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


had  been  In  the  Business  and  Canteen  Service 
of  the  Association  in  England,  France  and 
Italy  about  twenty-five  hundred  American 
women. 

There  are  hundreds  of  picturesque  stories 
of  their  work  in  discomfort  and  in  danger. 
There  were  sixty  at  least  with  the  Fighting 
Divisions,  working  under  fire.  Two  were 
killed  by  shell,  four  were  gassed,  fifteen  were 
awarded  the  Croix  de  Guerre  or  other  war 


and  every  now  and  again  the  door  opened  a 
crack  as  the  Guard  summoned  one  or  another 
to  his  post  of  danger,  that  woman  stood  and 
spoke  to  the  men  of  the  great  cause  for  which 
they  were  risking  their  lives  and  of  the  great 
land  that  was  watching  what  they  should  do. 
In  the  Argonne  there  was  a  chocolate  sta- 
tion far  to  the  front  where  the  boys  marching 
up  to  the  Forest  or  being  brought  back  from 
the  fight  could  get  a  hot  drink  and  send  a 


An  American  Sister  by  Proxy 

Sailor  and  soldier  alike  profited  by  the  recreation  centers  set  up  for  their  benefit  by  such  agencies 
as   the   War   Camp   Community   Service   or   the    Red  Cross. 


medals.  One  woman  close  to  the  lines,  who 
in  America  had  run  a  large  restaurant,  worked 
with  a  soldier  assistant  all  night  long  by  the 
light  of  bursting  shells,  making  cakes  for  the 
soldiers  who  came  by  her  hut,  day  after  day, 
always  sure  of  finding  a  welcome  and  some- 
thing comforting  to  eat  or  drink. 

In  another  division  the  doughboys  crowded 
in  a  dark  hut  for  their  last  evening,  begged 
the  woman  friend  who  had  been  with  them 
for  months  to  talk  to  them  before  they  said 
good-by.  Standing  on  a  soap  box,  while 
outside  every  moment  came  the  roar  of  shells, 


message  home.  Two  women  alternately  mixed 
and  served  chocolate,  and  when  ordered  by  the 
officers,  ran  down  into  the  cellar  for  safetj'^, 
coming  back  again  to  their  kettles  whenever 
the  shelling  grew  less  fierce, 

Tj'pical  as  is  this  picturesque  service,  the 
most  valuable  work  done  b_y  the  women  of  the 
Association  was  in  the  S.  O.  S.  in  the  great 
camps  where  bakers  and  engineers  and  camou- 
fleurs  and  motor  transport  men  organized  and 
carried  on  the  work  that  made  the  fighting 
possible ;  and  at  the  ports,  Liverpool,  South- 
ampton,   Bordeaux,    St.    Nazaire    and    Brest, 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


269 


where  homesick  soldiers  and  sailors  had  their 
first  welcome  in  a  strange  land.  Here  the 
women  took  shabby,  desolate  rooms,  barracks, 
old  halls,  dilapidated  houses,  anything  that 
the  "Y"  could  secure,  and  made  them  home- 
like with  a  bit  of  curtaining  and  a  little  paint 
and  bowls  of  flowers.     Here  thev  made  choco- 


Very  quickly  after  the  men  reached  France 
came  the  question  of  where  they  should  have 
their  furloughs.  The  poilu  could  go  back 
to  his  home,  the  Canadian  and  the  Australian 
could  at  least  go  to  England  where  folk  spoke 
their  tongue.  But  what  would  become  of 
the   Yank    on    his    days    off?      The   \vomen's 


A  Group  of  Canteen  Workers 

The  canteens  played  a  useful  part  in  the  life  of  the  American  soldier  when  not  on  duty,   and  en- 
abled many  thousands  of  young  women  to  serve  their  country  in  a  most  practical  way. 


late  or  tea  or  served  whole  meals  and  played 
games  or  organized  entertainments  or  planned 
sight-seeing  expeditions  to  the  country  round. 
Here  it  was  that  they  heard,  over  and  over 
again,  the  words,  "Why,  I  did  not  know 
there  was  an  American  woman  in  France. 
You  are  the  first  woman  I  have  spoken  to  in 
five  months" ;  or  that  other  phrase  which 
became  a  term  of  affectionate  comradeship, 
"Here's  an  honest-to-God  American  girl," 


work  in  the  first  leave  area  at  Aix-les-Bains 
was  put  in  charge  of  Mrs.  Theodore  Roose- 
velt, Jr.,  and  so  successful  was  this  work  that 
similar  leave  areas  were  opened  in  twenty-five 
places  in  France  and  large  numbers  of  our 
women  were  sent  to  help  the  American  boys 
to  sane  and  healthful  enjoyment.  So  finely 
did  this  plan  succeed  that  in  the  great  leave 
area  of  the  Riviera,  General  Pershing  pro- 
posed that  all  the  American  women  welfare 


270 


THE  ar:mies  of  mercy 


workers,  of  whatever  organization,  should  be 
answerable  to  the  "Y"  directress,  Mrs.  An- 
derson. 

There  were  many  in  the  Army,  even  many 


"to   the    WOMliN    MEIMBKRS  OF   TrIE   A.    K.    F. 

"While     the     achievements     of     American 
Arms  are  still  fresh  in  our  memories,   I   de- 


in    the    Association,    who    looked    doubtfully      sire  to  express  my  sincere  app  eciation  of  the 


©     International  Film  Service. 


Helping  the  Boys  from  "Over  There" 

A  soldier's   uniform  was   a   password   after   the  war  as  well  as  before.     Mrs.  Vincent  Actor,   an 

ardent  Y.  M.  C.  A.  worker,  is  the  hostess. 


upon  this  experiment  of  putting  women  into 
the  camps.  But  the  women  made  good.  We 
have  the  testimony  of  ofHcers  and  men  alike. 
We  have  this  word  from  General  Pershing 
himself,  which  was  spoken  to  the  Army 
Nurse,  Salvation  Lassie,  Red  Cross  Canteener 
and  "Y"   Secretary  alike: 


wcrk  done  by  the  women  of  the  American  Ex- 
peditionary Forces.  The  part  played  by 
women  in  winning  the  war  has  been  an  Im- 
portant one.  Whether  ministering  to  the  sick 
cr  wounded,  or  engaged  in  the  innumerable 
activities  requiring  )'our  aid,  the  cheerfulness, 
lovaltv   and   efficiency  which   have   character- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


271 


ized  your  efforts  deserve  the  highest  praise. 
You  have  added  new  laurels  to  the  already 
splendid  record  of  American  womanhood. 

"It  is  a  privilege  to  testify  that  your  glori- 
ous accomplishments  in  the  war  have  given 
you  a  new  place  in  the  hearts  of  officers  and 
men  of  the  Army,  and  have  earned  for  you 
the  admiration  of  a  grateful  nation. 

"John  J.  Pershing, 
"General,   Commander-in-Chief." 

It  was  also  true  that  everything  was  on  the 
side  of  American  women.  There  were  a  few 
women  to  thousands  and  thousands  of  home- 
sick men,  and  the  task  was  essentially  a 
v.oman's  task.  It  was  in  large  measure  sim- 
ply  the  making  of   boys  a   little   more  com- 


fortable, making  them  feel  at  home,  and  the 
means  to  that  end  was  the  doing  of  all  sorts 
of  seemingly  trifling  kindnesses  and  the  show- 
ing of  simple  friendship  toward  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  men.  The  women  succeeded 
not  alone  because  the  American  woman  is 
adaptable  and  large-minded  and  earnest  and 
full  of  energ}'.  Her  success  was  in  great 
measure  due  to  the  spirit  of  the  American 
men.  Wherever  she  went,  on  whatever  er- 
rand, at  whatever  time  of  day  or  night,  she 
was  greeted  warmly,  she  was  served  loyally 
and  she  knew  herself  to  be  absolutely  safe. 
That  her  work  could  be  accepted  so  simply, 
so  as  a  matter  of  course,  is  one  of  the  great 
tributes  to  the  fundamental  soundness  of  our 
American  life. 


DURING  THE  COMBAT  PERIOD 

<'Y"  Workers  Had  No  Commissions,  But  Got  to  the  Front  Just  the  Same 


WAR  welfare  workers  were  always,  prior 
to  the  Great  War,  classified  officially 
as  noncombatants  by  Army  regulation  and 
custom,  being,  therefore,  prohibited  from 
serving  in  actual  combat  zones.  The  Cana- 
dian and  Italian  governments,  both  of  which 
commissioned  their  Army  Y,  M.  C.  A.  per- 
sonnel, furnish  the  first  two  exceptions.  Thus 
the  270  secretaries,  who,  mainly  recruited 
from  the  A.  E.  F.'s  Red  Triangle,  served  with 
the  Italian  troops,  were  the  only  officially 
commissioned  American  "Y"  men. 

The  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers  with 
the  A.  E.  F.  did  not  take  advantage  of  hon- 
orary commissions  which  our  War  Depart- 
ment stood  ready  to  grant  them  in  common 
with  the  American  Red  Cross.  But,  by  of- 
ficers and  men,  the  Red  Triangle  secretaries  , 
were  considered  (in  the  words  of  General 
Pershing)  to  be  "an  integral  part  of  the 
Army." 

In  hundreds  of  instances  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
workers  went  voluntarily  to  the  front  lines 
and  beyond,  acting  as  stretcher-bearers  and 
giving  aid  to  the  wounded.  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Catlin  (then  Major)  of  the  Marines, 
wounded   at   Belleau   Wood,   was   carried   to 


safety  by  a  Marine  and  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  sec- 
retary, the  latter  being  w^ounded  during  the 
rescue.  This  "Y"  worker  is  the  only  man 
not  in  the  service  permitted,  by  official  order, 
to  wear  the  insignia  of  the  United  States 
Marines.  The  fact  that  many  such  Y.  IVI. 
C.  A.  men  went  "over  the  top"  was  given 
official  recognition  in  numerous  regimental 
and  divisional  orders. 

There  were  710  "Y"  workers  in  the  Meuse- 
Argonne  offensive  attached  to  the  different  di- 
visions of  the  army.  They  marched  with  the 
troops,  were  under  shell  fire,  sometimes  for 
days,  rendering  such  service  as  their  limited 
supplies  would  permit.  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secre- 
taries packed  supplies  on  their  backs  at  times 
when  the  rapid  advances  of  the  Army  delayed 
their  motor  transport  supply.  They  received 
money  from  soldiers  to  be  sent  home  to  rela- 
tives. They  brought  up  letter  paper  and  en- 
velopes for  messages  to  loved  ones.  Motor- 
car drivers  risked  their  lives  to  get  canteen 
supplies  to  the  advancing  army,  and  drove 
through  the  night  without  lights,  and  in  a 
strange  country,  under  shell  fire  and  in  the 
gas  zones. 

The  same  was  true  in  the  Toul  Sector,  the 


272 


THE  ARIVIIES  OF  MERCY 


offensive  at  Chateau-Thierry  and  the  drives  at 
St.  Mihiel  and  Verdun. 

Always  the  problem  was  the  transporting 
of  supplies.  When  the  divisions  were  far  in 
advance  of  rail  heads,  when  railroads  were 
congested  by  excessive  traffic  and  crippled  by 
lack  of  equipment,  Red  Triangle  supplies 
were  hauled   hins;   distances  bv   motor   trans- 


ileux  on  September  15,  1918,  as  told  in  the 
official  army  order,  he  "showed  a  fearless  dis- 
regard of  his  own  safety  by  crawling  out  in 
front  of  lines  under  heavy  machine-gun  and 
sniper  fire  to  aid  wounded  soldiers,  whom  he 
carried  back  to  shelter  after  dressing  their 
wounds.  He  also  administered  aid  to  a 
wounded  German,  within  twentv  vards  of  the 


Underwood  and  Underwood. 


A  Hostess  House  at  Le  Mans,   France 

An  old  chateau  with  a  big  garden  taken  over  by   the  Y.  W.   C.  A.   as   a   Hostess   House  for  the 
A.  E.  F.  while  awaiting  sailing  orders  in  debarkation  camps  nearby. 


ports  over  roads  congested  with  army  trucks 
holding  the  right  of  way  with  food  and  am- 
munition. There  were  days  at  Ippecourt  that 
"Y"  men  unloaded  for  the  soldiers  in  the 
IVIeuse-Argonne  offensive,  as  many  as  forty 
cars  of  supplies. 

The  first  civilian  attached  to  the  American 
Expeditionary  Force  to  receive  the  Distin- 
guished Service  Cross  was  an  Episcopalian 
clergyman  attached  as  a  "Y"  worker  to  a 
machine-gun  battalion.     In  the  action  at  Bas- 


enemy  lines,  and  brought  him  in  a  prisoner." 
Near  Jaulney  on  September  15,  191 8,  the 
commander  of  an  American  battalion  for 
strategic  reasons  planned  to  leave  his  posi- 
tion. Explaining  that  a  German  attack  in 
force  was  expected,  he  asked  for  volunteers 
to  remain  with  such  of  the  wounded  as  could 
not  be  removed,  and  of  the  two  selected  one 
was  a  young  Y.  M.  C.  A.  worker  with  a 
machine-gun  battalion  attached  to  one  of  the 
regiments  of  U.   S.   Marines.     He  was  pub- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


273 


licly  thanked  before  the  troops  when  he  re- 
ceived a  Distinguished  Service  Cross.  Two 
weeks  later  he  was  sent  to  the  hospital  se- 
verely wounded  by  shrapnel.  While  working 
with  wounded  soldiers  a  shell  destroyed  the 
dressing  station,  killing  five  men  and  wound- 
ing ten. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  first  to  get  supplies 
to  the  surviving  troops  of  the  so-called  "Lost 
Battalion."     Two  "Y"  workers  lay  waiting 


was  the  cocoa  supplied  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  the  only  organization 
present  at  that  time.  The  work  of  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  In  our  regiment  was  of  the  very  great- 
est help,  and  was  thoroughly  and  gratefully 
appreciated  by  the  men  and  by  the  officers." 
Another  "Y"  worker  from  Scranton,  Penn- 
sylvania, has  a  letter  from  the  Commander 
of  the  Aero  Squadron  which  aided  in  locating 
the   Lost   Battalion    in    the  Argonne   Forest, 


©     Underwood  and  U ndervjood. 

The  Ruins  of  a  "Y"  Hut,  Blown  Up  by  a  German  Mine 

This  hut  at   Fleville,  Ardennes,   France,   was  operated  by  Mr.  A.  S.  Wilson,  attached  to  the  319th 
Machine  Gun  Battalion.     Mr.  Wilson  had  left  the  hut  just   a  moment  before  the  explosion. 


three  days  under  shell  fire,  with  fifty  pounds 
of  canteen  supplies  on  their  backs,  until  the 
heroic  unit  was  relieved,  and  Lieutenant  Col- 
onel Whittlesey,  commander  of  the  Lost  Bat- 
talion, wrote  later  to  one  of  the  two  secre- 
taries : 

"The  statement  has  been  made  that,  on  the 
relief  of  the  'Lost  Battalion,'  money  was 
charged  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  for  chocolate  and 
cocoa  supplied  to  the  men.  Of  course,  you 
and  I  know  that  this  is  not  a  fact,  and  I  take 
great  pleasure  in  stating  that  on  that  occa- 
sion the  first  hot  food  which  the  men  received 


stating  that  the  Red  Triangle  delivered  sup- 
plies to  him  to  drop  from  aeroplanes  to  the 
beleaguered  men  who  were  surrounded  for 
six  days. 

In  a  little  ruined  village  far  up  in  the  St. 
Mihiel  salient,  a  New  York  woman  worked 
for  twelve  hours  making  hot  chocolate  for 
soldiers  who  had  been  relieved  at  the  front 
and  were  coming  back  for  a  rest.  She  cooked 
the  beverage  in  empty  petrol  cans  over  a  wood 
fire  in  an  abandoned  fireplace. 

Scores  of  tired  soldiers  who  had  tasted  noth- 
ing hot  for  twenty-four  hours,  thanked  two 


274 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


plucky  women  workers  serving  hot  drinks  at 
an  improvised  kitchen  beside  one  of  the  roads 
leading  to  the  Argonne.  Thev  worked  in  mud 
o\er  their  boot-tops  and  under  constant  shell 
fire. 

A  noted  woman  writer  and  a  banker  trav- 
eled with  the  troops  in  the  St.  Mihiel  sector 
for  days,  serving  hot  chocolate  on  two  occa- 
sions from  abandoned  German  field  kitchens. 
On  the  same  march  a  lawyer  serving  with  the 
Y,  M.  C.  A.  workers  was  with  troops  so  close 
on  the  heels  of  retreating  Germans  that  they 
found  a  kitchen  with   the  fires  still  burning 


For  their  courage  and  work  the  French 
army  officials  allowed  two  American  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  men  to  be  the  first  welfare  workers  to 
enter  Verdun  and  establish  their  canteen. 

Red  Triangle  huts  were  often  the  target 
of  German  gunners.  Their  locations  were 
noted  on  captured  maps  as  being  congregating 
places  for  the  soldier,  whose  crowds  attracted 
the  shelling.  Before  the  entrance  of  the 
American  army  into  the  fighting,  more  than 
130  of  the  Foyers  du  Soldat,  manned  by  the 
American  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  were  destroyed  by 
shells,  or  burned  to  prevent  their  falling  into 


Not  a  Bomb-Proof  Job 

The  Y.   IVl.  C.  A.  workers  shown  in  the  picture  were  no  more  immune  to  chance  shells  than  the 

house  already  in  ruins. 


and  a  supply  of  fresh  beef  at  hand.  All  day 
long  he  fed  hamburger  sandwiches  to  men 
who  had  not  tasted  hot  food  for  forty-eight 
hours. 

While  the  American  troops  were  still  "mop- 
ping up"  the  dugouts  and  cellars  in  Chateau- 
Thierry,  after  driving  the  Boche  from  the 
place,  "Y"  workers  were  establishing  a  can- 
teen in  the  ruins  of  a  business  building.  Oc- 
casional shots  told  of  the  discovery  of  hid- 
den Germans,  while  soldiers  were  busy  in  the 
Red  Triangle  hut  writing  letters  home,  read- 
ing late  newspapers  and  enjoying  a  musical 
program  made  possible  by  the  discovery  of  a 
piano  that  had  escaped  entire  destruction. 


German  hands.  Nearly  a  score  of  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  huts  were  wiped  out  in  the  combat 
zone,  after  American  soldiers  went  to  the 
front.  Many  times  military  officers  ordered 
them  closed.  At  night,  windows  and  doors 
were  concealed  by  blankets,  but  a  ray  of  light 
was  enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  a 
Boche  aviator.  Religious  meetings  and  lec- 
tures were  permitted  only  when  the  entire 
assemblage  was  sitting  on  the  ground,  to  look 
like  a  part  of  the  landscape  to  the  observations 
of  aerial  raiders.  Three  Y.  M.  C.  A.  men 
were  killed  as  a  result  of  the  bombardment 
of  their  huts.  Many  others  were  wounded. 
It  was  no  uncommon   occurrence   for   secre- 

VII— 18 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


275 


taries  and  the  soldiers  to  pass  their  evenings 
with  gas  masks  on. 

In  his  citation  for  a  Croix  de  Guerre  a 
California  doctor  was  commended  for  "going 
in  front  of  the  lines  in  order  to  reach  men 
in  isolated  positions,  to  give  them  cigarettes, 
food,  and  to  encourage  them."  A  Pennsyl- 
vania college  professor  was  given  a  French 
War  Cross  for  having  "voluntarily  established 


C.  A.  women  workers  were  in  all  of  the 
fighting  zones,  and,  despite  the  vigilance  and 
orders  of  the  military  authorities,  were  often 
under  shell  fire.  Two  met  death  and  a  num- 
ber were  seriously  wounded,  not  on  the  front 
line,  but  close  to  the  maelstrom  of  shell  fire. 
They  trudged  along  with  the  soldiers  on  their 
marches  with  a  word  of  cheer,  and  wherever 
thev   could,   served   them   with   hot  chocolate 


Brown  Bros. 


The  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Among  the  Negroes 


The   negro   soldier  and  sailor   proved   to  be   among   Uncle    Sam's    best   warriors.     Special   pro- 
vision   was    made    by    the    negro    women    in    this    country    for    the    entertainment    of   the    men    in 

service  while  off  duty. 


a  post  of  shelter  under  a  violent  artillery  and 
machine-gun  fire."  A  North  Carolina  law- 
yer was  decorated  for  his  "courage  and  devo- 
tion in  evacuating  the  wounded  under  the 
most  violent  artillery  fire."  On  another  oc- 
casion, while  acting  as  stretcher-bearer,  this 
man  lost  his  right  eye  from  a  shell  fragment. 
It  was  the  touch  of  a  woman's  hand  and 
the  sound  of  a  woman's  voice  that  brought 
new  life  to  many  a  wounded  soldier  and  put 
new  courage  in  a  youth  who  was  shocked  by 
the  horror  of  war.     The  bands  of  Y.    M. 


which  was  secured  in  ways  that  only  a 
woman's  tact  and  ingenuity  could  invent. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers  with  divisions  were 
several  times  cited  in  official  orders. 

Major  General  Henry  T.  Allen  of  the  90th 
Division  on  September  24,  19 18,  paid  this 
tribute  to  the  "Y"  workers: 

"By  reason  of  the  excellent  work  shown  by 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  assigned  to  tlie  90th  Di- 
vision throughout  the  period  of  Sept.  12- 19th, 
I  ask  that  in  behalf  of  this  division  you  ex- 
press to  all  members  concerned  my  sincerest 


276 


THE  ARIVIIES  OF  IVIERCY 


thanks  for  the  highly  important  services  ren- 
dered by  them. 

"Through  these  trying  days  from  your 
headquarters  at  Griscourt,  where  a  canteen, 
warehouse,  and  dormitor)''  were  estabh'shed, 
your  valuable  activities  were  at  all  times  in 
evidence,  up  to  the  assaulting  battalions  and 
back  from  those  advanced  elements  with  the 
wounded  through  the  various  medical  sta- 
tions to  the  field  hospitals. 

"Nine  Secretaries  were  with  the  infantry 
battalions  and  two  secretaries  (F.  A.  Dawes 


carried  on  their  work  in  all  its  phases  during 
the  time  that  this  division  was  in  contact  with 
the  enemy  from  May  31  to  July  30. 

"2.  During  the  days  beginning  July  14, 
when  the  enemy  made  their  attack  and  for 
days  and  nights  afterwards,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
through  its  faithful  members  at  their  posts  of 
duty,  not  only  with  chocolate  and  cakes  and 
tobacco  cheered  our  soldiers,  but  was  of  ef- 
ficient assistance  to  our  medical  staff  in  car- 
ing for  wounded.  Plot  chocolate  was  served 
in  many  cases  free,   both  day  and  night,   to 


Underwood  and   Underwood. 


Y.  W.  C.  A.  Workers  in  France 


Tea    hour    in    the    Y.    W.    C.    A.    Interallied    Club    for    Women    at    Le    Havre,    France — Miss 
Katharine  Stebbins  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.    (standing)  was  director. 


and  B.  F.  Ford)  actually  went  over  the  top 
with  the  assaulting  battalions  and  carried  on 
their  work  in  the  midst  of  the  severest  losses. 
I  specially  desire  to  commend  the  zeal  and 
fortitude  of  these  two  gentlemen,  and  to 
thank  the  Y.  I\I.  C.  A.  for  having  sent  such 
excellent  representatives  to  us." 

On  August  18,  191 8,  in  General  Orders, 
No.  33,  IVIajor  General  Dickman  said  of  the 
40  Y.  IVI.  C.  A.  workers  with  that  division: 

"i.  The  Commanding  General  desires  to 
make  of  record  in  the  General  Orders  of  this 
division  his  appreciation  of  the  part  taken 
by  the  members  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  who  have 
been    attached    to    this    division    and    actively 


the  wounded   and   to   the   ambulance  drivers. 

"3.  While  the  men  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
were  with  the  troops  in  the  froxt  lines, 
the  YOUNG  WOMEN  of  the  Y.  ]\I.  C.  A.  were 
detailed  with  the  hospitals,  and  the  medi- 
cal STAFF  of  this  division  bear  testimony  to 
their  most  efficient  help  during  these  two 
weeks  of  combat. 

"4.  The  conduct  of  these  self-sacrificing 
and  brave  men  and  women,  who  have  so  un- 
hesitatingly given  their  services  to  their  coun- 
try, establishes  a  standard  of  prestige,  ex- 
ceptional courage,  devotion  and  resources, 
which  the  Commanding  General  particularly 
commends. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


277 


"5.  A  copy  of  this  order  will  be  furnished 
to  each  member  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  who  has 
been  on  duty  with  this  division." 

The  workers  in  several  other  divisions  were 
similarly  cited  in  orders  and  there  were  scores 
of  individual  citations  and  commendations. 

RED    TRIANGLE    HOTELS 

In  Paris,  in  the  ports  and  at  other  im- 
portant places  on  the  main  lines  of  transpor- 
tation, the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  leased  and  operated 
hotels  for  oflficers  and  enlisted  men  en  route 
or  on  leave.  These  hotels  were  operated  at 
cost  or,  in  many  cases,  below  cost. 

The  "Y"  operated  no  fewer  than  73 
hotels,  restaurants  and  clubs  for  enlisted  men 
and  oflficers.  The  "Y"  hotels  usually  accom- 
modated from  50  to  100  men;  but  at  Brest, 


Paris  and  London  were  larger  hotels  where 
from  200  to  300  could  be  accommodated. 
They,  as  well  as  the  restaurants  and  clubs, 
formed  a  feature  of  'Y"  war  w^ork  which  was 
essentially  new,  the  aim  being  to  protect  the 
fighting  men  against  excessive  prices  v/hile  af- 
fording them,  as  nearly  as  possible,  real  home 
comforts. 

In  many  cases  these  hotels  became  enter- 
tainment and  social  centers,  as,  for  example, 
in  the  case  of  the  Hotel  de  Pavilion  in  Paris. 
A  soldier  coming  to  the  hotel  might  take  his 
meals  there,  have  a  bath  and  a  barber,  spend 
his  evening  at  the  movie  entertainment  or 
theater,  and  sleep  on  the  premises.  In  many 
of  these  hotels  American  "Y"  women  acted  as 
hostesses.  It  was  never  possible  for  the  "Y" 
to  provide  sufficient  hotels  to  meet  the  desires 
of  the  men. 


7   ""V/"" 


ENTERTAINMENT  BY  THE  "Y 

Playing  Under  Fire 


UNDER  this  department's  direction,  95 
professional  units,  averaging  four  per- 
sons each,  operated  in  France  for  many 
months.  Fifty  of  these  were  recruited  by 
the  Over-There  Theater  League,  an  organi- 
zation formed  in  the  United  States  to  obtain 
and  send  talent  to  France;  thirty  were  musical 
units,  some  of  them  composed  of  actors,  and 
the  remainder  were  French. 

There  were  six  stock  companies,  the  largest 
having  twelve  members,  which  produced  one- 
act  plaj'S  and  three-act  comedies  and  melo- 
dramas. In  the  Leave  Area  circuit  there  were 
at  one  time  seventy-five  acts  of  French  vaude- 
ville. These  w^ere  procured,  because  of  the 
scarcity  of  American  material,  to  meet  the 
demand  for  this  particular  character  of  en- 
tertainment. As  rapidly  as  American  per- 
formers could  be  secured  they  were  substi- 
tuted. 

In  addition,  approximately  700  companies 
composed  of  soldiers,  equipped,  rehearsed  and 
transported  in  part,  if  not  entirely,  by  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  gave  regular  productions  of 
shows,    ranging   in   quality    from   pieces  of   a 


distinctly  amateur  type,  playing  only  locally, 
to  high  grade  dramas. 

Estimating  the  average  audience  at  500 
men,  and  with  an  average  of  nine  perform- 
ances weekly  by  each  of  the  outside  profes- 
sional companies,  1,350,000  men  were  given 
an  opportunity  to  see  a  show  once  a  month. 
With  the  Armjr  shows,  which  were  assisted 
by  the  "Y,"  another  million  men  received  this 
opportunity.  Officers  and  men  in  uniform 
were  admitted  to  all  performances  free  of 
charge. 

The  department  distributed  free  to  sol- 
diers, up  to  March  i,  191 9,  approximately 
$500,000  worth  of  musical  instruments, 
chiefly  equipments  for  small  orchestras  and 
jazz  bands.  It  gave  out  also  about  4,000 
sets  of  makeup  and  11,000  costumes,  the  lat- 
ter of  a  total  value  of  $60,000.  The  sheet 
music  comprised  80,000  copies,  worth  about 
ten  cents  each. 

The  department  had  250  workers  in  its 
field  organization.  In  virtually  every  divi- 
sion, base  section,  or  other  large  point,  it  had 
a  representative,  and  the  places  in  which  en- 


278 


THE  ARIMIES  OF  MERCY 


tertainments  were  given  ranged  from  the  As- 
sociation's huts,  hospital  wards,  and  barracks, 
to  the  Theater  Champs-Elysees,  in  Paris,  a 
luxurious  playhouse  with  a  seating  capacity 
of  2,100. 

The  relations  between   the  Army  and  the 
department  were  described  in   Entertainment 


©     Uiiderzvood  and   Underivood. 

Brooklyn  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Boys  Organize  Hos- 
pital Unit  for  Work  in  France 

The  Central  Branch  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of 
Brooklyn  organized  a  naval  base  hospital  for  serv- 
ice in  France.  It  consisted  of  fifty  trained  men. 
Each  member  of  the  corps  \vas  physically  and 
scientifically  fit  to  take  command  of  a  Red  Cross 

squad. 


Bulletin  No.  i,  issued  from  General  Head- 
quarters Jan.  28,  19 1 9,  two  sections  of  which 
read  as  follows: 

"entertainment 

"a. GENERAL   SCOPE    OF   ACTIVITIES 

"i.  The  entertainment  program  announced 
in   G.  O.   No.   241,  series   19 18,   is  intended 


to  provide,  so  far  as  possible,  suitable  enter- 
tainment each  night  in  every  important  cen- 
ter occupied  by  American  troops. 

"b. — COOPERATION  WITH  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

"2.  To  accomplish  this,  Entertainment  Of- 
ficers appointed  under  that  order  will 

"(a)  Utilize  all  available  facilities  and 
personnel  of  the  A.  E.  F.  and 

"(b)  Effect  the  fullest  cooperation  with  the 
Entertainment  Department  and  Booking  Sys- 
tem of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

"(c)  Entertainment  activities  of  other  wel- 
fare organizations  will  be  conducted  through 
the  entertainment  organization  of  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A." 

On  October  i,  191 7,  the  Overseas  Enter- 
tainment Bureau  was  organized.  At  first 
it  centered  its  activities  on  the  task  of  col- 
lecting musical  instruments  and  sheet  music 
for  shipment  overseas.  With  this  in  hand 
followed  the  establishment  of  a  recruiting 
office  for  overseas  talent. 

The  Red  Triangle  began  the  work  of  giv- 
ing entertainments  for  the  soldiers  in  Decem- 
ber, 191 7,  as  a  branch  of  the  Educational 
Department's  activities.  In  January,  191 8, 
a  department  of  Lectures  and  Entertainments 
was  organized,  out  of  which  grew  the  latter 
department.  At  that  time  the  administrative 
and  clerical  personnel  comprised  only  four 
persons.  Until  early  in  19 18  the  department 
had  the  services  of  about  a  dozen  regular  en- 
tertainers who  had  come  from  the  United 
States  for  the  "Y,"  and  an  equal  number  of 
occasional  French  entertainers,  who  gave  their 
services  without  charge  or  for  payment  of  ex- 
penses only. 

Difficulty  in  getting  costumes  and  theatri- 
cal supplies  from  America  resulted  in  the 
opening  by  the  "Y"  in  Paris  of  a  costume 
department,  with  a  French  woman  in  charge 
of  twelve  seamstresses  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture, mending  and  cleaning  of  garments 
furnished  for  soldier  shows. 

Three  great  pageants  were  held  in  France 
under  "Y"  auspices:  the  "Drawing  of  the 
Soldier,"^'  the  "Pearl  and  the  Pauper,"  and 
"Joan  of  Arc,"  which  latter  was  given  at 
Domremj'',  Joan's  birthplace,  on  the  steps  of 
the  church   erected  to  her  memon\ 

Prior  to  the  armistice,  practically  all  of  the 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


279 


entertainments  had  been  given  in  France  and  classics  out  of  pianos  in  which  the  keys  stuck, 

Il;aly,    but    beginning   with    Deo  mber   manj  pianos  taken  from  German  dugouts.     Actors 

entertainment   troupes   were  sent  by  way  of  enacted  comedies  in   buildings  with  one  side 

England,    and    later   the   field    was   extended  torn  away  by  enemy  shells, 

into   Belgium   and   Germany.  At  St.  Nazaire  there  was  an  establishment 

They  played  before  audiences  of  4,000  in  known  as  the  "Play  Factory,"  a  large  audi- 


Distributing  Gifts 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magasine. 


Socks  were  a  welcome  gift  to  the  soldier,    but  when 

the  Theater  Champs  Elysees  in  Paris  and  be- 
fore audiences  of  a  few  hundred  on  railroad 
platforms  and  under  shell  fire.  Singers  sang 
indoors  and  out,  in  rainy  weatlier  and  dry. 
Vaudeville  performers  did  their  turns  in  the 
luxurious  surroundings  of  the  Casinos,  at  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  leave  areas,  on  the  Riviera  and 
in    the   Pyrenees,    bringing   ragtime    and   the 


accompanied  by  cii^arettes  were  doubly  acceptable. 

torium  constructed  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and 
used  by  the  Association  and  the  army  enter- 
tainment officials  for  the  painting  of  scenery, 
manufacture  of  costumes  and  for  rehearsals 
and  "try-outs"  of  new  shows.  From  the  time 
of  the  inception  of  the  work  in  France  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  purchased  and  distributed  more 
than  1,000  pianos. 


THE  RED  CROSS  NURSE 
By  Edith  M.  Thomas. 


The  battle-smoke  still  fouled  the  day, 
With  bright  disaster  flaming  through; 

Unchecked,  absorbed,  she  held  her  way — 
The  whispering  death  still  past  her  flew. 

A  cross  of  red  was  on  her  sleeve; 

And  here  she  stayed,  the  wound  to  bind, 
And    there,    the   fighting   soul    relieve, 

That  strove  its  Unknown  Peace  to  find. 


A  cross  of  red  .  .  .  yet  one  has  dreamed 
Of  her  he  loved  and  left  in  tears; 

But  unto  dying  sight  she  seemed 
A  visitant  from  other  spheres. 

The  whispering  death — it  nearer  drew, 
It  holds  her  heart  in  strict  arrest  .  .  . 

And  where  was  one,  are  crosses  two — 
A  crimson  cross  is  on  her  breast! 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  ARMY  EDUCATIONAL  PROGRAM 

The  Khaki  College  and  Its  Students 


GRADUAL  growth  of  the  educational 
program  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  overseas 
culminated  in  its  organizing  the  so-called 
great  "Khaki-College,"  officially  recognized 
as  a  Red  Triangle  activity  by  General  Per- 
shing on  October  31,  1918,  in  the  first  Gen- 


educational  methods  and  the  establishment  of 
schools  for  instruction  of  officers  and  soldiers 
in  all  of  the  larger  posts,  camps  and  hospitals 
of   the  American   Expeditionary   Forces." 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  appropriated  some  $9,- 
000,000    for    the    work.      Subsequently,    be- 


A  Class  of  Illiterates 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  illiteracy  among  the  negroes  of  the  South  has  always  been  very  high. 
The  wages  paid  negro  teachers,  as  measured  by  the  number  of  negro  children  in  the  United  States, 
are  ridiculously  insufficient.     P"or  many  negroes,  life   in   the    army   gave   them  the   first   schooling 

they  had  ever  gotten. 


eral  Order  of  the  A.  E.  F.  on  education,  the 
first  paragraph  of  which  reads  as  follows: 

"The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
through  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Army  Educational 
Commission,  has  organized,  with  the  approval 
of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  an  educational 
system   charged   with   the  standardization   of 


cause  of  changing  conditions  coincident  with 
the  signing  of  the  armistice,  this  was  cut  down 
to  $4,500,000.  In  round  numbers,  600  edu- 
cational supervisors  were  sent  over  by  the 
"Y."  More  than  $2,000,000  worth  of  text- 
books and  supplies  were  shipped  to  Europe. 
Hardly  had  the  first  American  troops  land- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


281 


ed  on  French  and  English  soil  early  in  191 7 
when  Y.  M.  C.  A.  educational  work  of  an 
informal  character  was  started  in  many  "Y" 
huts.  Closely  cooperating  with  the  Army, 
courses  having  an  important  bearing  on  mili- 
tary preparation  and  morale  were  conducted 
early,  such  as  French  and  European  geogra- 
phy. It  is  estimated  that  at  least  300,000 
American  soldiers  were  studying  French  in 
the  days  preceding  the  armistice.    Great  prog- 


educational  needs  and  opportunities  with  the 
Army  in  Europe.  At  the  same  time,  as  early 
as  September,  191 7,  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee of  the  American  University  Union  had 
considered  the  proposition  of  establishing  edu- 
cational work  with  the  A.  E.  F. 

Anson  Phelps  Stokes,  secretary  of  Yale 
University,  the  leading  spirit  in  the  plans  of 
the  American  Educational  Union,  arrived  in 
France   on   January   8,    19 18.      General    Sec- 


1 


pr- 


.1 


V 


-'T*'='!S'l 


■..III  I  in  mini.  I  I  11    •>!   ■"    ".'"ij 


-^  ai*.M,^-<»>'JLmi^J'.^'t.V'fc-M^>.-"'-!-"-   -■&(-■ 


'J 


8 


.   w.»~T-i»— "•— ^Ww 


r;» 


©     Undent'  ,,:   ahd    Undcruvod. 


Wounded  Canadians  in  the  English  Home  of  Lord  and  Lady  Astor 

Cliveden  Wood  was  converted  into  the  Duchess  of  Connaught  Hospital.    The  picture  shows  several 

wards  in  which  the  wounded  were  cared  for. 


ress  was  made  in  classes  conducted  overseas 
for  illiterates — the  teaching  of  reading  and 
writing — a  task  which  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
largely  assumed  in  cantonments  and  train- 
ing camps  at  home  before  the  troops  sailed, 
thus  aiding  the  Army  and  its  chaplains  in 
their  work. 

Leaders  of  the  Red  Triangle  with  the 
A.  E.  F,,  in  the  autumn  of  191 7,  urged  the 
National  War  Work  Council  at  New  York 
to  send  several  of  the  most  prominent  educa- 
tors   from    the    United    States    to    study    the 


retary  Mott,  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  War  Work 
Council,  gave  Prof.  Stokes,  before  he  went 
overseas,  a  letter  authorizing  him  to  "repre- 
sent officially  the  National  War  Work  Coun- 
cil of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions of  the  United  States." 

On  February  8th,  Chief  Secretary  Carter 
submitted  Prof.  Stokes's  report  to  General 
Pershing,  and  on  March  15th,  the  Chief  of 
Staff  replied: 

"The  Commander-in-Chief  (General  Per- 
shing)  approves  the  project  in  principle  and 


282                                         THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 

has  directed  that  the  proper  facilities  be  given  In  the  months  that  followed  the  armistice, 

for  this  work  throughout  the  Command."  the  Army  was  able  to  assume  an  ever  increas- 

Prof.  Stokes  returned  to  the  United  States  ing   responsibility   for  the   educational   work, 

in  April  and  Prof.  John  Erskine  of  Columbia  It  was  found  that  40,000  officers  and  enlisted 

University,  who  was  already  connected  with  men   were   qualified   to  teach.      General   Or- 

the  Red  Triangle  educational  work  in  France,  der  No.   192,  issued  in  the  autumn  of  1918, 

became    Acting    Educational    Director.      On  called  for  the  establishment  by  Jan.  i,   I9i9> 

May  4th,  the  Army  Educational  Commission,  of  post  schools  in  all  places  where  500  or  more 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  was  formed,  its  three  members  soldiers    were    permanently    stationed.       On 

being  Prof.  Erskine;  Frank  Spaulding,  super-  Jan.    13th   these   Orders  were   superseded   in 

intendent  of  public  schools  in  Cleveland,  Ohio;  part  by  General  Order  No.  9,  which  stated 

and   President  Butterfield  of  Amherst  Agri-  specifically  the  relation  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

cultural  College.  Educational  Commission  to  the  Army. 

It  was  the  belief  of  the  Army,  the  Y.  M.  By  General  Order  No.  30,  division  educa- 
C.  A.  and  its  Commission,  that  while  hostili-  tional  centers  and  university  courses  were  es- 
ties  continued  the  Commission's  work  should  tablished ;  and  by  General  Order  No.  27, 
be  in  preparation  for  the  period  of  demobiliza-  issued  March,  19 19,  it  became  possible  to 
tion,  that  it  should  outline  a  program,  estab-  excuse  men  from  military  duties  during  the 
lish  courses,  issue  syllabi,  and  order  necessary  afternoons,  to  permit  of  their  attendance  at 
text-books.  The  real  activities  were  to  be  post  schools.  Enrollment  in  the  post  schools 
initiated  when  the  fighting  ceased  and  the  was  voluntary,  except  for  illiterates  and  non- 
troops  were  awaiting  embarkation  to  Amer-  English-speaking  persons, 
ica.  The  Commander-in-Chief  expressed  the  The  division  educational  centers  were  or- 
aim  in  General  Order  No.  30:  ganized  to  offer  advanced  courses  in  trades  and 
"This  citizen  Army  must  return  to  the  vocational  training,  as  well  as  advanced  aca- 
United  States  prepared  to  take  an  active  and  demic  courses. 

intelligent  part  in  the  future  progress  of  our  An  adjunct  to  the  work  was  formed  in 
country."  December,  191 8,  under  the  auspices  of  a  Bu- 
The  Commission  did  not  expect  the  armis-  reau  of  Citizenship,  working  with  the  Y.  M. 
tice  to  come  so  soon ;  it  had  counted  on  the  C.  A.  Its  object  was  to  give  exhibits  and 
winter,  spring  and  summer  as  a  time  of  prep-  lectures  about  citizenship  to  the  soldiers  over- 
aration  for  the  demobilization  period.  After  seas.  This  work  was  initiated  by  Prof.  J.  A. 
Nov.  II,  191 8,  however,  it  became  essential  Kingsburjs  formerly  Commissioner  of  Chari- 
that  deliveries  of  text-books  begin  much  earlier  ties  in  New  York  City,  and  absorbed  nearly 
than  had  been  anticipated.  As  a  result  of  the  $1,000,000  in  fitting  the  returning  dough- 
Commission's  efforts,  large  deliveries  began  boys  to  become  better  American  citizens. 
in  February,  19 19.  While  the  educational  Through  arrangements  with  French  and 
activities  were  carried  on,  the  American  Li-  British  authorities  it  was  made  possible  by 
brary  Association  cooperated  splendidly  in  the  March  15th  for  approximately  8,000  Ameri- 
work  of  supplying  text-books,  which  could  not  can  officers  and  men  to  attend  classes  at 
be  obtained  from  dealers  in  Europe,  and  of  French  institutions  and  2,000  at  British  uni- 
which  shipment  from  America  was  delayed,  versities.  As  entrance  requirements  of  Euro- 
The  Army  arranged  to  purchase  the  books  pean  universities  are  very  high  it  was  deemed 
from  the  "Y"  at  cost  and  lend  them  to  the  best  to  send  only  men  who  were  graduates  of 
soldiers.  At  no  time  w^ere  there  books  suffi-  American  universities,  or  who  had  been  upper- 
cient  to  meet  the  whole  need.  classmen. 
The  proRram  carried  out  by  the  Educational  Comtnis-  For    men    wishing    university   work    corrc- 

"°Vo"t'fchlols    in    camps,    cantonments,    rest    areas   and  Sponding    tO     freshman     and     SOphomore    WOrk 

°*')f-!;.  "■?ters        ..      ,       ,       .                   u  .  ^-  ■  ■  in  American  colleges,  the  A.  E.  F.  University 

Division   edvicational   centers  in   every  combat   division  .  ,                                       ^ 

in  the  larger  s.  o.  s.  units.  was  established  at  Beaune,  Cote  d'Or,  France. 

"Courses  in   French   for  qualified  men.  ~,,  ...               ,                            a           •            i 

"Courses    in    an    American    Army    university    for    men  1  hlS    UniVerSlty    tOOk    OVer    an    American    baSC 

who  could  not  be  accommodated  at  the  French  and  Brit-  u         •.    i                           j                    ^    j     ^t.        L    mj* 

ish  universities.  nosDital    camp    and    converted    the    buildings 

"Lec[ures°"'^^""  ''°"""'  '"^o  classrooms,  laboratories,  study  hall,  offices 


THE  ARAIIES  OF  MERCY                                            283 

and  laboratories.  Colonel  Ira  L.  Reeves  Transfer  of  the  Army  Educational  Corn- 
was  appointed  military  superintendent,  or  mission  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  with  its  com- 
commandant,  and  Dr.  Erskine,  of  the  plete  staff  of  teachers,  to  the  control  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  president.  Army  Headquarters  was  approved  by  Secre- 
In  the  spring  of  19 19,  there  were  esti-  tary  of  War  Baker  on  April  3,  19 19,  when 
mated  to  be  130,000  men  at  the  Post  Schools,  he  wrote: 

which   correspond   to    the   elementary   schools  "In  accepting  this  transfer  on  behalf  of  the 

in   the   United   States;   55,000  attending   the  Army,  we  wish  to  thank  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

Divisional     Schools,     w^hich     correspond     to  for  the  admirable  work  which  it  did  in  ini- 

American  high  schools,  and  100,000  attached  tiating  and  carrying  on  this  educational  work 

to  the  agricultural  department  in  the  large  base  at  a  time,  when,   because  of  the  pressure  of 

:amps.     In  addition  there  were  at  that  time  the  all-engrossing  business  of  actual  fighting, 

5,800   men    in    specialized   vocational    schools  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  the  Army  to 

where  they  had  full  army  shop  facilities.  have  undertaken  it. 


)> 


SEED-TIME 
By 

Josephine  Preston  Peabody. 

Woman   of  the  field, — by  the   sunset   furrow, 
Lone-faring  woman,  woman  at  the  plow. 

What  of  the  harrow? — there  so  near  their  foreheads. 
Can   there   be   harvest,   now? 

"My  one   Beloved   sowed  here  his  body; 

Under  the  furrows  that  open  so  red. 
All  that  come  home  now,  have  we  for  our  children — 

They  will  be  wanting  bread. 

From  Harvest  Moon.     Messrs.  Houghton  Mifflin  Company. 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  RELIGIOUS  WORK 

Services  for  Those  Who  Wanted  Them 

THE  Religious  Work  Department  minis-  and  making  addresses  upon  moral  and  ethical 
tered,  in  close  co(3peration  with  the  subjects. 
Chaplains,  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  This  department  reached  approximately 
AiTny.  seven-eighths  of  America's  fighting  men  over- 
Services  for  worship  were  held  once  or  seas.  The  actual  number  of  soldiers  of  Al- 
twice  on  Sunday,  in  nearly  all  of  the  huts  lied  and  Associated  Nations  with  whom  the 
and  other  centers,  and  at  some  of  them  mid-  department's  representatives  came  in  touch  is 
week  services  as  Avell.  To  supplement  this  impossible  to  estimate.  In  the  Riviera  area 
work  of  "Y"  secretaries  and  chaplains,  promi-  Polish  troops  and  members  of  the  British 
nent  clergymen  were  sent  to  Europe  to  move  forces  were  served ;  during  the  combat  period, 
through  the  camps,  holding  religious  services  when  American  soldiers  were  in  liaison  with 


284 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


the  French,  many  Frenchmen  attended  Bible 
study  classes  and  other  meetings,  and  work 
with  the  Chinese  in  the  Gievres  and  other 
areas  was  a  conspicuous  feature,  when  these 
labor  battalions  remained  in  large  numbers 
in  any  one  place. 

One  of  the  most  important  religious  pro- 
grams was  carried  on  in  the  Army  of  Occu- 
pation, while  an  intensive  program  was  car- 
ried out  with  men  on  leave  in  the  Riviera  area. 
Effective  "Prepare  for  Home"  campaigns 
were  conducted  in  the  First  Army. 

The  non-sectarian  nature  of  the  work  was 
strongly  emphasized.  The  huts  and  other 
buildings  were  always  available  for  services 
by  men  of  every  faith,  Protestant,  Roman, 
Catholic.  Jewish,  and  were  alwaj's  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Chaplains  at  all  times. 

The  department  trained  singers  and  musi- 
cians, and  conducted  classes  for  the  develop- 
ment of   religious   song-leaders.      Its  speakers 
did  not  confine  themselves  to  addresses  on  dis- 
tinctively religious  themes.    There  was  a  staff 
of  advisers  on   life-callings,   and   classes  were  [-- 
held    to   consider   the   constructive    issues    in-*^ 
volved  in  the  meaning  of  the  war.     Honey  Bee  \. 
Clubs,   organized   among   negro   soldiers,   had  .^ 
an   enrollment  of   approximately   20,000.     A 
special  work  was  also  carried  on   among  the 
45,000  railway  men  in  the  A.  E.  F. 

The  Comrades  in  Service  movement  was 
inaugurated  by  this  department.  This  or-^ 
ganization,  directed  by  a  council  composed  of 
members  of  the  military  and  various  auxiliary 
welfare  bodies,  was  designed  to  bind  together 
permanently  the  men  of  the  Army,  the  Navy 
and   the   Marine   Corps.      Its  professed   aims 


and  solemnly  pledging  ourselves  through  pri- 
vate devotions  and  public  worship  to  bring 
about  comradeship  among  all  men;  to  strive 
for  the  realization  of  the  highest  type  of  de- 
mocracy in  making  secure  the  universal  com- 
radeship of  mankind." 

The  department  was  organized  in  January, 


were : 


To  develop  in  the  camp  overseas  and  in 
America  a  campaign  on  health  education ;  to 
promote  wholesome  recreation  in  the  camp  and 
for  the  whole  community  at  home;  to  work 
for  a  better  social  condition  at  home,  which 
will  mean  a  better  and  a  greater  America ;  to 
prepare  our  communities  at  home  for  an  edu- 
cational system  which  shall  prepare  our  chil- 
dren for  a  life  of  the  largest  usefulness ;  to 
commit  ever>'  Comrade  to  a  fundamental  moral 
program,  a  higher  ideal  of  the  home  as  the 
unit  of  the  Nation  and  the  elimination  of  all 
that  works  against  the  home;  to  return  to 
civil  life  acknowledging  our  feelings  of  de- 
pendence  upon   God   during  overseas  service, 


©     Gtlluim  Service. 

Gilding  the  Leaves  of   Bibles 

Every  American  soldier  was  provided  with  a 

small  Bible  which  was  exact  in  every  detail  even 

to  the  gilding  of  the  leaves.     The  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

was  one  of  the  many  organizations  which  held 

religious  services  for  the  boys. 

191 8,  with  a  personnel  of  two.  Its  stafif,  in- 
cluding the  Paris  office  force,  the  regional, 
divisional  and  hut  religious  secretaries  and 
itinerant  speakers  and  singers,  was,  ultimate- 
ly,  in   excess  of  400. 

The  personnel  included  some  of  the  most 
noted  clergymen  of  the  United  States.  At 
different  times  in  their  ranks  were  seven  of 
the  leading  American  Protestant  Bishops,  nine 
editors  of  religious  publications,  nine  college 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


285 


presidents,  sixteen  college  and  university  pro-  there  were  400  meetings  conducted  by  eleven 

fessors,  twenty-six  business  men,  seventeen  of  religious  directors  in  charge  of  the  activities, 

the  leading  pastors  of  America  and  forty-six  assisted  by  fourteen  special  lecturers  and  units 

men  from  the  lecture  field.  of  musical  entertainers. 

Millions  of  pieces  of  literature  were  given  In  that  month  there  were  given  to  the  sol- 

away,  including  hymn  books,  testaments,  libra-  diers    96,987     hymnals;     10,000    testaments; 

ries    for    chaplains,    study    books    and    tracts.  276,166    miscellaneous    literature;     12    com- 


Off  to  "Do  London" 

They   are  being  shown   the   sights   of   the   great    city  under  the  guidance  of  the  Y.   M.   C.  A. 


Nothing  was  sold.  Overseas  the  expenditure 
of  this  branch  of  the  Y.  ]\I.  C.  A.  was  in 
excess  of  a  million  dollars. 

After  the  armistice,  an  intensive  program 
of  religious  activities  was  developed  for  which 
a  hundred  of  the  best  leaders  in  religious  work 
were  sent  overseas. 

As  illustrating  the  work  in  the  Third  Army 
stationed  in  Germany,  during  February,  19 19, 


munion  sets;  10  cases  for  literature;  16  Jew- 
ish prayer  books  and  39  Douai  versions  of  the 
Scriptures. 

And  in  the  period  after  February  ist,  there 
were  given  away  250,000  hymnals;  11,285 
Testaments;  20,000  miscellaneous  pamphlets; 
14  folding  organs;  5  communion  sets;  1,000 
rosaries;  1,000  scapulars  and  1,000  cruci- 
fixes. 


RUPERT  BROOKE 

{In  Metnoriam) 
By  Moray  Dalton 


1  never  knew  you  save  as  all  men  know 
Twitter  of  mating  birds,  flutter  of  wings 
In  April  coverts,  and  the  streams  that  flow — 
One  of  the  happy  voices  of  our  Spring. 


A  voice  forever  stilled,  a  memory. 

Since  you  went  eastward  with  the  fighting  ships, 

A  hero  of  the  great  new  Odyssey, 

And   God   has  laid   his   finger  on  your   lips. 

The  Spectator,   London. 


'T"  WORK  IN  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM  WITH  THE 

A.  E.  F. 

Yankee  Activity  Invades  Great  Britain 


AMERICAN  soldiers  in  the  United  King- 
dom in  the  first  months  of  the  war,  on 
their  way  to  battle  in  France,  were  receiving 
final  training  in  the  tactics  of  modern  war- 
fare, or  had  returned,  wounded,  from  France 
to  regain  their  health.  Later,  many  thou- 
sands visited  the  United  Kingdom  on  leave. 

The  need  for  Red  Triangle  service  under 
these  conditions  was  apparent,  for  soldiers, 
comparatively  idle,  in  training  or  on  leave,  are 
the  acknowledged  master  problems  of  all  mili- 
tary organizations.  These  are  the  periods 
when  morale  deteriorates  and  discipline  breaks. 

When  the  New  York  engineers  arrived  at 
Camp  Borden,  Hants,  England,  July  15,  191 7, 
four  American  "Y"  secretaries  were  awaiting 
them,  and  the  famous  Eagle  Hut  for  Ameri- 
cans in  London  was  being  remodeled.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  the  work  of  the  Ameri- 
can "Y"  in  England  for  the  American  Expe- 
ditionary Forces. 

The  work  in  the  United  Kingdom  was 
classified  naturally  into  four  groups: 

( 1 )  Work  in  the  camps  on  the  lines  of 
communication. 

(2)  Work  in  the  towns  and  cities. 

(3)  Work  in  the  aviation  camps. 

(4)  Work  at  the  naval  stations. 

The  character  of  the  work  in  the  first  group, 
which  included  nine  centers,  can  be  shown  by 
a  description  of  Red  Triangle  service  at  three 
points:  Liverpool,  Winchester,  and  Southamp- 
ton, illustrating  the  activities  at  a  port  of 
debarkation,  a  rest  camp  and  a  port  of  em- 
barkation to  France. 

More  than  1,400,000  United  States  troops 
passed  through  Liverpool.  A  money  exchange 
bureau  and  canteen  were  established  to  meet 
the  need.  Through  arrangement  with  the 
military,  the  "Y"  workers  were  permitted  to 
board  the  ships  as  soon  as  they  arrived  at  the 
piers,  and  distributed  post  cards  to  the  soldiers 
for  their  first  message  home.     Secretaries  also 


exchanged  money  for  the  men,  received  their 
cable  messages   and   telegrams,   and   rendered 


©     Underwood  and   Underwood. 

Bust  of  King  George  Presented  to  the  "Y" 

Presented    at    Washington    Inn,    London,    as    an 
evidence    of    good    will    and    fraternal    feeling    by 
Officers  of  the  Royal  Navy,  Royal  Marines,  Army, 
and  Royal   Air  Force. 

such  other  service  as  might  be  helpful  before 
the  men  debarked. 

A  hut  for  canteen  service  and  money  ex- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


287 


change  was  erected  on  the  Riverside  Dock  at 
Liverpool,  which,  after  a  period  of  successful 
operation,  was  turned  over  to  the  American 
Red  Cross.  Troop  trains  were  visited,  and 
there  were  placed  in  all  the  compartments 
copies  of  the  news  sheet  published  by  the 
Association,  entitled  Home  News,  which  gave 
a  daily  resume  of  items  received  at  the  wire- 
less station  of  the  United  States  Navy. 

Most   of   the   troops   landing   at   Liverpool 
spent  at  least  one  night  at  Knotty  Ash  Rest 


In  the  city  of  Liverpool,  the  American 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  maintained  three  centers.  The 
American  Officers'  Inn  had  fifty-six  beds,  so- 
cial rooms  and  restaurant.  Dewey  Rooms, 
opened  in  February,  19 18,  were  intended  for 
sailors  at  first,  but  were  used  by  soldiers  as 
well,  of  American  and  Allied  forces.  There 
were  sleeping  quarters  for  fifty  persons,  and 
in  emergency,  100,  and  a  restaurant  canteen 
where  3,000  meals  were  served  in  one  day. 
Similar    accommodations    were    also   provided 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 


3  A.   M.  in  a  London  Station 

A  bed  of  wood  within  four  walls  was  heaven  to  men  who  had  been  forced  to  sleep  in  the  trenches. 
The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  provided  over-night  accommodations  for  thousands. 


Camp,  where  the  "Y"  provided  large  tents, 
and  later  huts,  at  each  of  the  nine  divisions 
of  the  camp.  In  these  tents  facilities  were 
provided  for  reading,  writing,  and  games, 
with  post-exchanges  and  canteen  service. 
When  the  Knights  of  Columbus  desired  to 
open  a  center  of  their  own  there  and  no  other 
site  was  available,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  turned 
over  to  that  organization  one  of  the  Red  Tri- 
angle huts.  During  the  summer  of  191 8  the 
Association  obtained  for  use  as  an  officers'  inn, 
"Oakville,"  a  typical  old  English  residence 
with  well-kept  gardens  and  grounds,  directly 
at  the  camp. 


for  enlisted  men  at  Lincoln  Lodge  with  220 
beds.  These  three  downtown  "Y"  units  re- 
ceived the  generous  service  of  600  volunteer 
workers,  men  and  women. 

During  the  autumn  of  191 7  rest  camps  were 
established  in  the  Southampton  area.  The 
work  at  Winchester,  which  was  one  of  the 
largest  rest  camps  established  by  the  American 
Army  in  the  United  Kingdom,  was  typical 
of  the  Red  Triangle  service  in  such  stations. 
The  equipment  consisted  of  a  garrison  thea- 
ter with  a  capacity  of  600,  a  theater  tent  with 
a  capacity  of  4,000,  two  large  recreation  huts, 
and  the  Triangle  Hut, 


288 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


A  large  program  of  entertainment  was  pos- 
sible because  of  the  cooperation  of  local  tal- 
ent and  of  the  British  Committee  for  the 
entertainment  of  Americans.  A  very  exten- 
sive program  of  athletic  work  was  carried  out 
at  Winchester,  including  baseball,  soccer,  foot- 
ball, boxing,  track  meets  and  various  minor 
sports  and  games.  During  six  months,  from 
May  to  November,  191 8,  there  were  1,072 
contests,  18,550  men  participating,  with  spec- 
tators estimated  at  490,000. 

Upon  the  establishment  of  more  than  a 
dozen  American  aviation  camps  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  traveling  "Y"  workers  provided  at 
every  place  a  recreation  room,  with  writing 
paper  and  libraries;  in  the  larger  camps,  lec- 
tures, entertainments  and  religious  services 
were  arranged. 

As  the  camps  grew  in  number  and  size  the 
"Y"  workers  increased,  so  that  on  November 
II,  1918,  200  "Y"  secretaries  were  engaged 
in  this  work  in  the  seventy-five  aviation  camps 
then  in  existence.  At  least  one  secretary  was 
provided  for  each  camp  of  200  or  more  men. 
The  majority  of  huts  and  tents  were  furnished 
with  entertainments  and  motion  pictures,  and 
an  abundance  of  athletic  equipment. 

Of  great  scope  was  the  American  "Y" 
work  in  the  cities  and  the  towns.  The  num- 
ber of  officers  and  men  was  considerably 
greater  in  London  than  in  any  other  place 
in  the  United  Kingdom,  because  of  the  fact 
that  London  was  the  principal  leave  area  and 
the  American  headquarters  for  the  United 
Kingdom.  The  "Y"  met  this  situation  by  es- 
tablishing several  important  centers  for  both 
officers  and  men,  which  were  used  extensively 
by  the  personnel  of  both  the  Army  and  Navy. 

The  Eagle  Hut  in  London  was  in  reality 
a  series  of  ten  huts,  joined  together  to  consti- 
tute one  of  the  largest  recreation  huts  in  the 
world.  It  was  a  portable  frame  structure 
that  covered  35,000  square  feet,  and  6,000 
men  passed  in  and  out  of  it  daily.  It  was 
formally  opened  in  September,  19 17,  by  Am- 
bassador Page.  After  the  signing  of  the  armis- 
tice, when  the  number  of  men  on  leave  was 
multiplied,  the  Leave  Department  of  the  Asso- 
ciation stationed  from  ten  to  twenty  "Y" 
workers  at  the  Eagle  Hut,  whose  duty  it 
was  to  escort  parties  on  sight-seeing  trips  about 
London  and  its  vicinity. 

The   Eagle   Hut   canteen   catered   to  more 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  "Hut"  on  the  Strand,  London. 

than  3,000  men  daily  during  the  war  period. 
In  the  auditorium  was  a  virtually  continuous 
program  of  music,  vaudeville,  educational  lec- 
tures, and  motion  pictures.  The  hut  included 
dormitory  facilities  for  400  men,  post  ex- 
changes, reading  and  writing  facilities,  kit 
room,  barber  shop,  shoe-shining  parlor,  Ameri- 
can soft  drink  and  soda  fountain,  newspaper 
stand,  information  bureau,  griddle-cake  ser- 
vice, quiet  room  for  reading  and  writing,  bil- 
liard and  pool  tables,  and  a  half  dozen  large 
open  fireplaces.  The  cost  of  the  Eagle  Hut 
and  equipment  was  approximately  $110,000. 

"Y"  centers  were  opened  in  Plymouth, 
Glasgow,  Cardiff,  Inverness  and  Newcastle- 
on-Tyne.  Private  hotels  were  taken  over  in 
London  and  transformed  into  resident  homes 
for  enlisted  men  from  the  Army  and  Navy 
Headquarters;  also  several  large  hotels  were 
taken  over  to  provide  attractive,  economical 
hotel  accommodations  of  soldiers  and  sailors 
in  transit  and  on  leave. 

Centers  for  officers  in  London  w-ere  Wash- 
ington Inn,  the  American  Officers'  Inn,  and 
the  Palace  Hotel.  Washington  Inn  was 
opened  officially  in  June,  191 8,  with  the  Duke 
of  Connaught  and  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
present.  The  next  day  the  King  and  Queen 
of  England  visited  the  Inn.     From  the  time 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


289 


A  Necessary  Friend 


Coiirf^iy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 


The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  formed  the  connecting  link  between    the    wounded    and    their    anxious    relatives. 
The  Association's  men   and  women  helped  many  relations    to    locate    their    missing    soldier    lads. 


of  opening,  it  was  filled  to  capacity.  Lady 
Alastair  Innes-Ker  was  the  volunteer  lady  su- 
perintendent and  the  Countess  of  Essex  di- 
rected the  canteen.  Lady  Evelyn  Ward 
organized  a  corps  of  300  women  volunteer 
workers.  The  women  workers  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  other  than  the  volunteers,  were  un- 
der the  direction  of  Lady  John  Ward,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Honorable  Whitelaw  Reid, 
former  American  Ambassador  to  England. 

The  American  Officers'   Inn   faced  Caven- 
dish Square  in  the  West  End  of  London  and 
comprised   four  private  residences.     The  Inn 
was   formally   opened   in  January,    19 18,    by 


Ambassador   Page,  and  became  a   rendezvous 
for  officers  passing  through  London. 

The  Palace  Hotel  was  opened  after  the 
armistice  to  accommodate  the  increasing  num- 
ber of  officers,  both  American  and  Allied,  who 
came  to  London  on  leave.  The  dining-room 
accommodated  200  at  one  time,  the  bedrooms 
were  attractively  furnished,  and  there  were 
sleeping  quarters  for  300.  The  Palace  Hotel 
was  generally  filled  to  capacity,  with  a  concert 
held  every  Thursday  night,  dances  on  Tues- 
day and  Saturday  nights  and  teas  every  after- 
noon, except  Saturday,  with  special  music  and 
entertainment. 


290 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Christmas,  191 8,  was  observed  at  the  Lon- 
don "Y"  centers  with  true  Yuletide  spirit. 
Christmas  dinners  and  entertainments  were 
given  in  the  centers  that  day.  Approximately 
1,400  free  turkey  dinners  were  given  at  Eagle 
Hut  and  1,500  cold  turkey  suppers.  The  pro- 
gram of  the  day  consisted  of  motion  pictures, 
vaudeville  acts,  service  of  carols  and  addresses, 
and  music  by  the  U.  S.  Naval  Aviation  Band. 
It  continued  from  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, through  a  party  and  dance  in  the  evening, 
until  midnight.  Many  an  American  soldier 
did  not  leave  the  hut  all  day  long.  More  than 
5,000  bags  of  candy  were  distributed.  On 
Christmas  day  1,105  men  went  sight-seeing  on 
"Y"  trips  in  London  alone,  427  tickets  were 
furnished  free  to  shows,  and  477  men  were 
furnished  with  cut-rate  tickets. 

The  activities  provided  by  the  "Y"  at  Man- 
chester, Portsmouth  and  the  Scotch  cities  of 
Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  were  similar  to  those 
in  London. 

Extensive  plans  had  been  made  by  the  "Y" 
for  educational  work  in  Great  Britain,  but 
the  transfer  of  troops  to  America  was  so 
speedy  that  after  the  armistice  these  were 
modified.      Despite  the   rapid   demobilization. 


2,000  soldiers,  a  large  per  cent,  of  whom  were 
enlisted  men,  took  advantage  of  the  privileges 
secured  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Educational  Com- 
mission to  continue  their  studies  in  English 
and  Scotch  Universities. 

Other  Red  Triangle  service  was  the  mainte- 
nance of  information  bureaus  for  soldiers  at 
Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  Dublin,  Belfast,  Liver- 
pool and  other  points;  the  organization  of 
church  parties,  and  transportation  of  men  on 
leave  in  London  and  other  large  cities  from 
one  station  to  another  at  night  after  busses 
and  other  means  of  transportation  had  ceased 
to  operate. 

Through  activities  of  the  "Y"  during  the 
first  ten  months  of  19 18,  2,000  American 
soldiers  were  sent  to  British  homes  for  hos- 
pitality and  not  one  case  of  misconduct  was 
reported. 

The  work  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  although  not  as  romantic,  perhaps, 
as  the  service  rendered  where  the  actual  fight- 
ing was  taking  place,  was  vitally  important 
and  made  a  profound  impression  on  the  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  soldiers  and  sailors  of 
the  United  States  and  Allied  forces  to  whom 
the  "Y"  had  the  privilege  of  ministering. 


WITH  THE  A.  E.  F.  IN  ITALY 

The  "Y"  in  the  Land  of  the  Caesars 


THE  tireless  and  efficient  way  with 
which  you  cooperated  with  me  at  all 
times  in  bringing  comfort  to  the  members  of 
this  regiment  will  ever  be  appreciated  by  me 
and  shall  receive  mention  in  my  reports," 
said  Colonel  William  Wallace,  commanding 
the  332nd  U.  S.  Infantry,  America's  one  rep- 
resentative organization  with  the  Italian 
Armj'',  In  a  letter  to  Wilson  S.  Naylor,  Law- 
rence University  professor,  who  was  the  chief 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  with  the  A.  E.  F.  in  the 
land  of  the  Caesars. 

In  July,  1918,  fifteen  American  "Y" 
workers  came  down  from  France  to  care  for 
the  needs  of  the  American  troops,  then  arriv- 
ing in  Italy.  This  number  increased  with  the 
demand  until  in  September,   191 8,  when  the 


high  peak  was  reached,  there  were  40  "Y" 
secretaries,  operating  in  as  many  as  53  points 
at  the  same  time. 

Fifteen  of  this  number  played  an  active  part 
in  the  memorable  ten-day  drive  on  the  Piave 
River  with  the  Americans,  twelve  of  them 
operated  heavily  laden  camions  carrying  sup- 
plies up  under  the  eyes  of  Austrian  batteries. 
When  the  Austrian  Army  was  routed  and  the 
332nd  moved  into  Cattaro,  Montenegro, 
Flume  and  Trieste  with  the  Italian  Army  of 
Occupation,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  the  only 
welfare  organization  with  this  regiment. 

After  the  signing  of  the  armistice  new 
features  were  added  to  the  program  of  enter- 
tainment, recreation  and  physical  develop- 
ment.    At  three  points  educational  work  was 

VII— 19 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


291 


introduced,   embracing  the  studies  of  mathe-  Following    out    its    policy    of    entertaining 

matlcs,    languages,    history,    music    and   other  soldiers  on   leave,   the  Y.   M.   C.  A.  opened 

branches.      Secretaries   were   stationed   in    all  leave  centers  in  conjunction  with  the  A.  E.  F., 

the   hospitals,    one    devoting    his    entire    time  in  Italy's  most  beautiful  and  historic  places — 

to  promoting  athletics  and  sports  among  am-  Rome,  Florence,  Genoa,  Naples  and  Venice — 


y.  M.  C.  A.  Men  in  Italy 

bulance  units  at  twenty  isolated  points.    This  providing  guides  and  sight-seeing  tours,  lec- 

man   was  especially   mentioned   by   American  turers,  entertainers,  comfortable  and  inexpen- 

officers    for    his    capable    maintenance    of    an  sive  quarters,   canteens,   club-rooms  and   the- 

emergency  mobile  canteen  and  library  service,  atricals.      These    diversions    proved    a    great 

contributing    greatly    to    the    morale    of    the  boon  for  the  American  soldier  separated  from 

members  of  these  units.  the  home  atmosphere  of  his  native  hearth. 


"Y"  WORK  IN  THE  ARMY  OF  OCCUPATION 

Aiding  the  "Watch  on  the  Rhine" 


WHEN  the  Third  Army  of  the  American 
Expeditionary  Forces  crossed  the 
Rhine,  the  Red  Triangle  accompanied  the 
troops.  The  work  in  Germany  had  neces- 
sarily to  be  of  enlarged  character,  inasmuch 
as  there  was  little  drilling,  and  a  relaxation 
from  former  military  and  campaign  rigors. 
The  men  had  plenty  of  time  for  their  own 
amusement ;  there  was  no  fraternization  per- 
mitted with  the  German  residents  of  towns 
and  cities,  and,  naturally,  the  hours  dragged, 
for    officer    and    doughboy.      The    "Y"    was 


looked  upon  as  the  remedy  for  these  condi- 
tions, and  every  worker  and  Red  Triangle 
facility  were  hard-pressed. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  came  into  the  territory 
of  occupation  early  in  December,  1918. 
Necessary  rail  embargoes  made  the  early 
extension  of  the  work  exceedingly  difficult. 
With  the  removal  of  transportation  restric- 
tions, and  the  availability  of  huts,  furniture, 
musical  instruments  and  other  equipment  in 
the  local  market,  came  a  steady  expansion  of 
the  Red  Triangle  in  the  Rhine  valley  with 


292 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


the  headquarters  at  Coblenz.  The  "Y,  '  in 
March,  1918,  had  in  operation  425  full-time 
centers  for  the  troops  of  the  Third  Army. 
Eighty-three  other  points  were  served  at 
regular  intervals  by  portable  motion  picture 
and  canteen  equipments. 

Working  in  conjunction  with  officers  of  the 
Army,  in  accordance  with  plans  outlined  in 
General  Army  Orders,  the  "Y"  Educational 
Department   contributed   to   the   happiness   of 


Army  with   special  forms  of  amusement  of- 
fering to  nearly  all  an  occasional  relaxation. 

A  costume  department  to  supply  clothing 
for  theatricals  was  maintained  at  Coblenz, 
and  furnished  during  March  640  costumes 
from  stock,  and  544  new  costumes.  It  em- 
ployed a  force  of  10  dressmakers  and  tailors 
to  provide  the  new  "creations"  required  by 
the  companies  orjjanized  throughout  the 
Army  of  Occupation. 


Rainbow  Division  Pursuing  Germans 

And  behind  the  advancing  troops  came  the  Y.  ]VI.  C.  A.  with  its  welfare  activities  and  its  unique 

resources  for  the  troops'  diversion  and  comfort. 


the  men,  and  added  materially  to  their  future 
usefulness  and  earning  power.  The  program 
included  a  wide  range  of  classes  and  lectures 
on  all  subjects  of  general  interest.  Divisional 
schools  for  academic  work,  agricultural  in- 
struction and  general  vocational  training  were 
established. 

Entertainment  directed  by  the  "Y"  kept 
homesickness  at  the  lowest  possible  ebb.  Its 
program  brought  about  a  steady  increase  in 
the  number  of  professional  concert  parties, 
and  developed  many  soldier  talent  plays.  The 
"Y"  booked  practically  every  unit  in  the  Third 


In  March,  1919,  there  were  1,132  soldier 
talent  shows  with  a  total  personnel  of  127 
officers  and  2,656  enlisted  men  playing  in 
the  Third  Army.  These  companies  gave 
2,640  performances  during  March  alone. 

Under  direction  of  a  woman  "Y"  worker, 
"Seven  Keys  to  Baldpate"  was  first  produced 
at  Neuenahr  the  week  of  March  24th  and 
played  the  following  week  in  the  Festhalle, 
Coblenz. 

The  music  and  instruments  supplied  by  the 
Red  Triangle  added  materially  to  keeping 
the  men  satisfied  with  their  tiresome  lot.   The 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


293 


musical  department  arranged  programs  for  all 
religious  and  patriotic  meetings,  printed  free 
for  distribution  many  of  the  songs  popular 
in  the  A.  E.  F.,  and  took  over  the  output  of 
three  musical  instrument  and  song-sheet  fac- 
tories to  meet  the  demands. 

The  motion  picture  program  of  the  "Y" 
was  perhaps  more  popular  than  any  other  ele- 
ment of  the  Red  Triangle  work,  it  being 
reported  in  March,  19 19,  that  every  division 
was  supplied  with  machines;  a  total  of  35 
portable  machines  with  the  Third  Army,  43 
stationary  machines  and  a  staff  of  57  to 
carry  on  the  work. 

The  athletic  department,*  through  a  sta.fi  of 
"Y"  athletic  directors,  working  under  the 
slogan   "Athletics   for   Everybody,"   instituted 

*  Between  Feb.  4th  and  ^larch  4th,  1919,  the  Athletic 
Department  distributed  these  materials:  Baseballs.  12,144; 
bats,  1,884;  catchers'  mitts,  127;  bases,  4,05<);  volley 
balls,  488;  Ijasketballs,  616;  soccer  balls,  i,=;46;  footballs, 
684;  boxing  gloves.  277  pairs;  whistles,  ig8;  nets,  volley 
and  tennis,  207;  medicine  balls,  84;  cage  balls,  54;  tug 
of  war  ropes,  17;  chest  protectors,  242;  masks,  242; 
first  base  mitts,  1,016;  basketball  goals,  56;  fielders' 
gloves,    2,068. 


a  mass  play  program  which  reached  practi- 
cally every  man  in  the  Third  Army.  In 
addition  to  mass  games  there  were  company, 
regimental  and  divisional  series  in  football, 
basketball,  baseball  and  track,  culminating  in 
army  and  in  A.  E.  F.  championships.  Boxing 
was  extensively  promoted  during  the  winter. 
The  periodical  department  of  the  "Y"  in 
the  area  of  occupation  delivered  daily  to  the 
men  without  cost,  70,000  American  (Paris 
edition)  newspapers.  The  newspapers  reached 
Treves  at  i  p.  m.  and  Coblenz  at  4  p.  m. 
daily.  With  but  few  exceptions,  their  news- 
papers were  received  by  the  men  in  more 
than  400  German  cities  and  villages  on  the 
evening  of  the  day  following  their  issue. 
The  department  also  delivered  to  Third 
Army  units,  52,000  new  American  magazines 
monthly.! 

f  The  Religious  Department  gave  out  during  the  month 
96,987  hymnals,  and  10,000  Testaments,  276,166  pieces 
of  miscellaneous  literature,  12  communion  sets,  10  cases 
for  literature,  16  Jewish  prayer-books  and  39  Catholic 
Bibles. 


THE  Y.  M.  C.  A.  WITH  THE  A.  E.  F.  L\  SIBERIA  AND 

NORTHERN  RUSSIA 

A  Dreary  and  Cold  Winter  with  but  Little  Warmth 


THE  story  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  with  the 
American  soldiers  and  sailors  in  Siberia 
and  northern  Russia  during  the  fateful  win- 
ter of  1918  and  1919  is  tinged  with  all  the 
romance  that  surrounds  the  brave  though 
small  Allied  forces  occupying  these  two  iso- 
lated and  difficult  sectors  in  the  world  battle 
line.  Hard  pressed  by  numerically  superior 
enemies,  they  unflinchingly  maintained  an 
unequal  struggle  against  overwhelming  odds 
of  cold,  inadequate  transportation,  and  ter- 
rible  isolation. 

Work  among  American  troops  in  the  dis- 
integrated Russian  Empire  was  carried  on 
from  widely  separated  bases;  virtually  at  op- 
posite sides  of  the  globe.  In  Siberia  the  Red 
Triangle  base  was  located  at  Vladivostok.  In 
northern  European  Russia  the  ports  of  Mur- 
mansk and  Archangel  served  in  like  capacity. 

The   American   Y.    M.    C.   A.    service   ex- 


tended along  more  than  eight  thousand  miles 
of  railway  and  river  line  held  by  the  Allied 
armies  in  these  two  zones  during  the  winter 
of   1918  and   1919. 

During  the  time  of  the  A.  E.  F.  opera- 
tions in  northern  Russia  and  eastern  Siberia 
until  the  summer  of  1919,  the  American 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Y.  W.  C.  A.  and  the  Red 
Cross  were  the  only  welfare  and  relief 
agencies    from    the    States   serving   our   men. 

IN    SIBERIA 

In  the  spring  of  191 8,  after  the  dissolution 
of  the  demoralized  Russian  Army,  a  group 
of  American  "Y"  secretaries,  two  of  them 
men  who  had  served  with  the  original  Czech 
division  in  the  old  Russian  Army,  accom- 
panied the  Czech  troops,  numbering  60,000 
men,   into  Siberia.      Fifteen  thousand  Czechs 


294 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


and  two  American  secretaries  reached  Vladi- 
vostok in  May,  some  weeks  before  the  open- 
ing of  hostilities  between  the  Czechs  and  the 
Bolsheviks.     The   remaining  secretaries,  who 


and  the  Czechs.  When  the  first  American 
troops  from  Manila  and  the  Philippine  Island 
stations  arrived  at  Vladivostok  to  help  succor 
the   Czechs,    they    found   the   American   "Y" 


Courtt 


!\i'd  Cross  Magazine. 


Elsie  Janis,  The  Doughboys'  Friend 

Who   for    more   than   six   months   "did    her    bit"   by  cheering  up   soldiers  in   training  camps   and 
hospitals  in  France,  often  under  the  auspices  of  the  Y,  M.  C.  A. 


were    with    the    45,000    Czechs    in    western  men  awaiting  them.    Again  the  Red  Triangle 

Siberia    and    along    the    line    of    the    Trans-  was  the  first  to  serve,  the  "Y"  men  forming 

Siberian    Railway,    were   cut   off   from    those  the  largest  group  of  Americans  in  Siberia  at 

who  had  reached  the  seaboard  by  the  break-  that  time. 

ing  out  of  hostilities  between  the  Bolsheviks  Two   months   before   the  American   troops 


THE  ARAIIES  OF  MERCY  295 

and  lectures.     A   "Y"   worker 
wrote  early  in  1919: 

"We  supply  all  huts  with  en- 
tertainers four  times  a  week.  A 
concert  troupe  scheme  is  in  full 
sweep.  The  second  troupe  just 
finished  its  twenty-fifth  per- 
formance at  Habarovsk.  We 
are  holding  up  the  circus  train 
to  load  on  the  fourth  troupe 
next  week,  who  will  have  come 
down  to  Vladivostok  for  a  final 
brushing  up.  Third  troupe — a 
monster  minstrel  show,  organ- 
ized from  officers  and  men  of 
the  U.  S.  Battleship  Brooklyn 
' — is  playing  for  the  fourteenth 
time  to-night. 

"Engaged  the  Russian  cathe- 
dral choir,   acquired   a   Russian 
orchestra,    and   have   organized 
arrived,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.'s  agents  in  Tokyo,      a  Russian  grand  opera  company  from  among 
Shanghai  and   Manila  had  searched  the  Far      the  refugees  here.    A  number  of  its  personnel 

were  formerly  with  the  Royal  Opera  of  Petro- 
grad.  They  are  some  hard  to  handle,  how- 
ever.    Temperament  galore." 

At  Vladivostok  and  Harbin,  the  American 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  fitted  up  athletic  fields  and  play- 


A  Popular  Place  on  a  Hot  Day- 


Eastern  cities  for  welfare  equipment  and  can- 
teen supplies;  cables  had  been  rushed  to  the 
United  States,  requesting  large  and  varied 
shipments,  and  from  China  and  Japan  Ameri- 
cans were  recruited  for  six  months'  terms  as 
"Y"   workers,    pending   the   arrival   of    addi-      grounds,  and  the  necessary  supplies  were  fur- 


tional  secretaries  from  the  States. 

In  February  of  1919  there  were  five  Asso- 
ciation huts  running  full  blast  for  the 
A.  E.  F.  men  near  Vladivostok,  including  the 
City  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  huge  International 
Hut  maintained  by  the  American  Association 
for  the  benefit  of  all  Allied  forces.  Red  Tri- 
angle huts  were  also  in  operation  at  Ros- 
dalyne,  Chucan  Mines,  Spaskoe,  Harbin  and 
Habarovsk. 

These  huts  were  in  great  contrast  to  those 
in  France  and  the  United  States,  except  for 
the  International  Hut  in  Vladivostok,  which 
was  a  remarkable  structure,  both  in  its  com- 
pleteness and  size.  They  were  mostly  old 
Russian    barracks,    heated    by   huge   cylinder- 


nished  free.  One  of  the  workers  wrote  under 
date  of  February  26,  1919: 

"We  had  a  huge  international  'fight  night' 
last  night — Canadians  and  British  against 
Americans.  What  a  mob !  There  were  six 
complete   bouts. 

"Fifteen  secretaries  leave  for  the  interior 
to-night.  Weather  not  so  terrible,  or  we  are 
getting  used  to  it.  I  have  split  my  head 
open — four  stitches — been  in  the  hospital  twice 
and  had  'scabies.'  Outside  of  that  I  am 
O.  K.,  but  terribly  tired.  It  is  just  fifteen 
to  nineteen  hours  a  day."  Enforced  hardships 
had  failed  to  quench  the  spirit  of  this  writer. 

At  the  outset  the  "Y"  was  greatly  under- 
staffed  in    Siberia   and    for   months   averaged 


like  Russian  stoves.     A  stage  was  constructed  only  one  worker  to  each  hut.     The  staff  was 

in  each  end  and  electric  light  plant  installed,  continually    harassed    because    of    prevailing 

Phonograph,  moving  picture  equipment,  and  a  shortage  of  equipment  and  supplies.    The  dif- 

library    usually    completed    the    outfit,    with  faculties  were  multiplied  by  inability  to  obtain 

tables  and  free  stationery  for  writing  letters,  army  transport  service  due  to  primary  mili- 

To  combat   the   homesick   feeling   that   crept  tary  necessities.     The  Association,   therefore, 

over  the  doughboys  in  this  Far  Eastern  coun-  was  forced  to  buy  cargo  space  from  the  mer- 

try,  the  "Y"  featured  entertainments,  movies  chant    marine    when    it    could    be    obtained, 


intcniaiional   Film   Service, 


Women  Car  Tinkers 


Before  the  war  this  picture   might  have  looked  like  an  illustration  of  some  New  York  show. 
As   it  is,  we  see  three  "lahorers"  proving  that    they  can  do  the  work  that  previously   had  beea 

done  bv  men  onlv. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


297 


which  was  not  often  in  the  days  of  few  ships. 
In  January,  1919,  however,  Major  General 
Graves,  commanding  the  A.  E.  F.  units  in 
Siberia,  gave  his  support  to  the  transportation 
efiforts  of  the  Association  and  thereafter  the 
Association  had  army  transport  service,  and 
with  the  rapid  improvement  of  conditions  in 
the  merchant  marine,  the  supply  situation  in 
Siberia  was  steadily  ameliorated. 

In   March,    1919,   the  Y.   M.   C.   A.   had 


April,  191 8,  because  of  inability  to  secure 
railway  and  shipping  facilities  across  Japan 
and  the  Japan  Sea.  The  second  shipment  via 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  suffered  the  same 
fate.  The  third,  carrjang  $80,000  of  ath- 
letic goods  and  special  supplies,  was  piled  up 
on  a  reef  off  the  Japanese  coast  when  the 
ship  ran  aground.  A  fourth  suffered  a  like 
fate  in  May  of  19 19,  over  1,000  cases  of 
Association  goods  being  a  part  of  the  cargo 


■;i 


1 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine, 


The  Last  Letter  Home 


The  Red  Cross  Canteen  Service  and  the  Y.   M.   C.   A.   not   only   took   charge   of   feeding  the 
soldiers  en   route  to  various  points,  but  performed   many   other   services,   such    as   mailing   letters 

for  the  boys. 


over  half  a  million  dollars  tied  up  in  equip- 
ment supplies — movie  film  and  machines,  ath- 
letic goods,  cantee.i  supplies,  etc. — which  ma- 
terial had  been  on  its  way  for  the  us«  of  the 
A.  E.  F.  in  Siberia  since  the  autumn  of  1918. 
The  fate  of  the  first  three  shipments  made 
from  the  National  headquarters  before  Jan- 
uary, 1919,  is  characteristic  of  the  difficulties 
which  were  encountered  in  trying  to  reach  this 
isolated  field  of  service. 

The  first  shipment,  routed  by  way  of  the 
Panama  Canal,  was  landed  at  Yokohama, 
Japan,  in  November,  where  it  remained  until 


that  was  thrown  overboard  in  order  to  float 
the  vessel. 

Along  the  eastern  lines  of  the  Trans- 
Siberian  Railway  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  maintained 
club  cars.  These  cars  were  rebuilt  box  cars, 
equipped  with  moving  picture  apparatus,  can- 
teen counter  and  supplies,  books,  magazines 
and  newspapers,  and  the  like.  One  man  wrote 
in  the  winter  of  1919: 

"Started  a  new  stunt  for  th^  A.  E.  F.  last 
night  and  it  made  some  hit.  We  secured  a 
huge  freight  car,  set  up  stoves,  hired  a  Chi- 
nese chef  and  started  an  American  doughnut 


298 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


factory  on  wheels.  The  first  two  days  we 
turned  out  7,000  dainties  and  on  Sunday  after- 
noon, after  setting  up  a  huge  samovar  at  each 
barracks,  we  gave  out  free  doughnuts,  tea, 
cigars,  cigarettes,  etc." 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  the  Associa- 
tion saved  the  American  soldiers  in  Siberia 
thousands  of  dollars  by  conducting  an  ex- 
change without  profit  at  a  time  when  there 
were  no  banks  in  operation  and  when  small 
change  was  very  difficult  to  secure. 

IN    NORTH    EUROPEAN    RUSSIA 

Although  practically  surrounded  by  the 
Bolsheviki  forces  at  many  points  during  the 
winter  of  1918-19,  the  thirty  Allied  forces  in 
north  European  Russia  literally  fought  with 
their  backs  to  the  wall  over  a  terrain  of  arctic 
swamp  and  stunted  forest  ground  covered  with 
three  to  four  feet  of  snow,  and  in  far-below- 
zero  weather.  As  this  little  army,  compris- 
ing Americans,  British,  French  and  Russians, 
gave  way  before  superior  forces,  contesting 
every  foot  of  the  ground,  the  American  "Y" 
secretaries  in  cooperation  with  a  force  of  Brit- 
ish '^'Y"  workers  maintained  Red  Triangle 
service  under  most  trying  conditions. 

One  American  secretary  was  awarded  the 
French  Croix  de  Guerre  and  two  were  given 
the   Russian   Cross  of   St.   George   for  valor 


under   fire   during  the  fighting   of   the  early 
months  of  1919. 

In  February  of  19 19,  when  the  Allies  had 
reached  their  furthest  southern  point  at  Oust 
Podinga  on  the  River  Vaga,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
had  26  American  huts  or  service  centers.  Here 
at  the  very  apex  of  the  narrow  salient  was 
located  one  of  the  finest  field  huts  of  the  Red 
Triangle  in  northern  Russia. 

In  one  district  the  Army  was  without  a 
chaplain,  so  the  "Y"  provided  one;  in  another 
the  Army  had  no  laundry,  so  the  "Y"  estab- 
lished one.  The  "Y"  cared  for  the  wounded, 
buried  the  dead,  encouraged  and  helped  the 
well,  and  distributed  free  hot  drinks,  choco- 
late, candies  and  tobacco.  Several  of  the  sec- 
retaries were  mentioned  in  American  Army 
orders  for  their  bravery  and  cooperation  dur- 
ing this  retreat. 

From  the  Seleteshoe  base  "Y"  secretaries 
worked  forward  on  the  front  lines  at  three 
points — at  Kleshnevskaia,  on  the  Onega 
River ;  at  Pinega,  on  the  Pinega  River,  and 
at  a  point  on  the  railway  line  between  Arch- 
angel and  Vologda,  the  American  "Y"  had 
front  line  huts.  On  the  railway  itself  a  string 
of  especially  equipped  box  cars  and  canteens, 
with  "Y"  men  in  charge,  serv^ed  the  outposts. 
Hut  service  was  maintained  at  two  other 
points — a  colossal  task — under  the  most  try- 
ing circumstances. 


RED  TRIANGLE  NAVY  DEPARTMENT  IN  FOREIGN 

WATERS 

The  "Gob"  Finds  a  "Y"  in  Every  Port 


DURING  the  Spanish-American  War  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  took 
up  its  first  efforts  on  behalf  of  the  men  of  the 
United  States  Navy.  Following  the  war,  a 
Navy  Department  was  organized,  with  build- 
ings at  the  important  naval  centers  on  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts. 

Naval  officials  at  Washington  recognized 
the  unique  place  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  and  on  July  26,  19 17,  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  issued  an  order,  outlin- 
ing the  work  of  the  Red  Triangle,  and  the 


cooperation  to  be  given  In  its  service  to  sail- 
ors and  marines. 

Following  closely  upon  the  entrance  of 
America  into  the  World  War,  the  American 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  formu- 
lated plans  for  a  unified  program  overseas  for 
all  branches  of  the  service.  However,  after 
several  months  of  experimentation,  It  became 
apparent  that  a  specialized  Navy  Department 
was  necessar3^  Without  such  emphasis  the 
work  for  the  Army  would  have  tended  to  over- 
shadow that  for  the  Navy,  due  to  the  over- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


29Q 


Printing    Craft,    Ltd. 

The  Duke  of  Connaught  and  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury 

Standing  in   the   doorway  of   a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  hut. 

whelming  masses  of  soldiers  pouring  into 
France  and  later  into  England,  while  the 
sailors  were  less  conspicuous  because  of  the 
secrecy  of  the  Navy's  operations  and  the  re- 
moteness of  the  naval  stations. 

In  the  strictly  naval  fields,  such  as  the  mine 
laying  bases  in  Scotland,  the  naval  aviation 
camps  on  the  coasts  of  Ireland  and  France, 
and  the  bases  at  Corfu  and  Gibraltar,  the 
Association  carried  out  a  specialized  naval 
work. 

In  order  that  the  Association  might  be  in 
constant  touch  with  the  Naval  Force  Com- 
mander's office,  the  headquarters  of  the  Navy 
Department  was  established  in  London  at  the 
Central  Office  of  the  American  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
for  the  United  Kingdom.  The  secondary 
office,  for  the  administration  of  the  naval  field 
in  France,  was  established  In  Paris. 


The  object  was  to  render  service  even  to 
the  most  remote  stations,  because  in  many  in- 
stances the  life  of  the  blue-jacket  was  less 
interesting  than  that  of  his  comrade-in-arms 
in  the  front-line  trenches.  The  Association 
was  given  the  challenge  to  help  stimulate  and 
sustain  the  morale  of  the  enlisted  men  by  pro- 
viding an  attractive  program  of  activities. 

At  the  signing  of  the  armistice  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  promoting  work  from 
Archangel  to  Corfu,  Greece,  including  all  the 
aviation  camps  in  Ireland,  France  and  Italy. 
During  the  days  of  the  armistice,  by  special 
request,  the  Association  extended  its  work  to 
new  stations,  including  Kirkwall  and  Spalato. 
During  the  total  period  the  Association  was 
operating  in  78  stations  or  cities,  with  135 
distinct  places  or  centers.  (In  this  num- 
ber combined  Army  and  Navy  centers  are 
included.)  Moreover,  the  American  blue- 
jacket and  marine  were  always  welcome  in 
the  Army  huts,  and  throughout  France  and 
England  all  branches  of  the  service  frater- 
nized under  the  roof  of  the  Red  Triangle. 

The  staff  of  entertainers,  motion-picture 
experts,  lecturers  and  speakers,  who  were  at 
various  times  serving  the  overseas  work  totaled 
hundreds  of  additional  workers.  Nor  do  the 
totals  include  the  local  volunteer  workers,  who 
helped  maintain  the  high  efficiency  of  the  work 
overseas.  Unique  in  the  contribution  to  the 
efforts  was  the  service  of  American  w^omen 
workers,  at  first  considered  an  experiment  by 
the  officers,  but  later  recognized  as  a  valuable 
asset. 

Relieved  of  all  canteen  responsibilities  ex- 
cept in  the  combined  fields,  where  men  who 
were  on  liberty  found  not  only  a  canteen  but 
a  restaurant  indispensable,  the  Association  was 
privileged  to  devote  its  full  energy  to  the  pro- 
motion of  an  all-round  program  of  activities. 
The  motion  pictures  played  a  major  part  in 
the  Entertainment  Department,  films  being 
sent  to  almost  all  of  the  stations,  including 
weekly  shipments  to  Gibraltar.  A  regular 
service  of  films  was  maintained  to  the  battle- 
ship squadrons.  In  addition  to  the  numerous 
professional  entertainments  provided  at  the 
various  stations,  the  Association  developed  lo- 
cal talent  for  minstrel  shows  and  comic  operas. 

Athletics  and  recreation  played  no  small 
part  in  the  program  of  the  Association,  and 
specialists  were  assigned  to  the  respective  fields. 


300 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


These  activities  at  Killingholme  (England) 
were  especially  noteworthy,  the  physical  di- 
rector being  requested  to  take  entire  charge 
of  the  morning  setting-up  exercises  and  to 
give  special  attention  to  the  aviators,  that  they 
might  be  kept  in  the  best  phjsical  condition. 
In  the  early  months  of  the  war,  and  in 
some  cases  up  to  the  day  of  the  armistice, 
the  strenuous  work  on  the  part  of  the  Navy 
crews  to  erect  buildings  and  to  complete  the 
stations  made  an  extensive  program  difficult. 
The  winter  months  of   19 18-19  would  have 


hospitality.  Over  700  homes  in  London  were 
opened  to  Americans  on  Christmas,  through 
the  efforts  of  this  League. 

The  short  stay  at  Portland  of  the  nine 
battleships,  prior  to  their  departure  for  Amer- 
ica, after  the  close-confining  days  with  the 
British  Grand  Fleet,  afforded  the  Association 
a  unique  opportunity.  Every  available  hall  and 
dormitory  was  requisitioned  and  during  tiie 
period  of  November  26-December  14,  19 19, 
10,060  men  were  accommodated.  The  enter- 
tainment afforded  these  men  consisted  of  sight- 


*iJ     L  nder'ucooa   ana    i^  iii,ci\cuo.i. 


British  Tank  on  Exhibition  at  Allied  Bazaar,  Baltimore 

This  is  an  exact  replica  of  the  first  tank  used  at  the  front  in  the  winter  of  1916-17. 


afforded  the  first  real  opportunity  for  an  ac- 
tive campaign.  The  educational  w^orkers  at 
Wexford  (Ireland),  Glen  Albyn  (Scotland), 
and  Trompeloup  (France),  afforded  illustra- 
tions of  successful  work,  and  the  eagerness  on 
the  part  of  the  men  to  secure  promotion  in 
spite  of  their  busy  days  was  a  great  encourage- 
ment. 

In  the  United  Kingdom  the  Hospitality 
League,  with  representatives  in  the  principal 
cities  such  as  Belfast,  Dublin  and  Edinburgh, 
rendered  a  unique  contribution  to  the  welfare 
of  the  soldiers  and  sailors.  Trains  w^ere  met 
and  soldiers  and  sailors  were  given  invitations 
to   visit   British  homes   and  partake  of   their 


seeing    trips,    theater    parties,    dances,    socials 
and  hospitality  in  homes. 

London,  naturally,  w'as  a  large  Association 
center  and  its  activities  were  manifold.  At 
Eagle  Hut,  then  later  at  the  Grafton  and 
Cosmo  Hotels,  every  modern  convenience  was 
to  be  found  to  make  furloughs  and  liberties 
attractive.  The  constant  throng  of  men  push- 
ing in  and  out  of  Eagle  Hut  testified  to  the 
popularity  and  need  of  such  a  center.  The 
700  volunteer  women  workers,  together  with 
the  American  women  and  men  secretaries, 
afforded  hospitality  to  countless  thousands  of 
Americans,  as  well  as  to  Allied  forces.  Many 
forms  of  wholesome  amusement  could  be  had, 


^?.#!:^'':'k'-!mgMmdgaimB!!^^#!iiLii#4J-^^^ 


Painling  by  J.    Paul   Verrecs 


The  American   Red  Cross  in   Italy 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


301 


including  Saturday'  night  dances  and  theater 
parties.  The  weekly  program  included  lec- 
tures, frequentlj'  two  motion  picture  shows  a 
day,   concerts,   theatricals  and   meetings. 

The  restaurant  became  so  popular  that  long 
lines  formed  in  advance  of  meal  hours.  The 
volunteer  workers  who  served  in  the  dining- 
room  created  a  home  atmosphere  for  men  away 
from    home.      Three   thousand    meals   was    a 


tlirough  these  clubs  to  many  visiting  officers. 
Afternoon  teas,  socials  and  dances  were  fea- 
tures in  the  club  life  of  the  officers. 

The  Mayflower  Inn,  at  Plymouth,  pre- 
sided over  by  an  American  secretary  and  an 
American  hostess,  was  a  decided  success.  The 
Octagon,  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  became  the 
social  center  and  played  an  effective  part  in 
improving  conditions,  as  is  evidenced  from  the 


American  Red  Cross  at  Trieste 

Showing  a  canteen  where  food  was  served  to  the   Italian  soldiers  who  occupied  that  city  after 

the   signing  of   the  Armistice. 


daily  average,  which  for  several  weeks  in- 
creased to  4,500.  On  July  4,  19 1 8,  7,660 
meals  were  served;  on  Thanksgiving  Day 
of  the  same  year,  4,500;  while  on  Christmas, 
3,000  turkey  dinners  were  provided. 

"Y"  work  for  the  officers  of  our  Navy  was 
equally  efficient.  The  three  places — the 
American  Officers*  Inn,  Washington  Inn  and 
the  Palace  Hotel — afforded  every  comfort. 
Lady  Alastair  Innes-Ker,  Lady  Adelaide, 
Countess  of  Essex,  and  Lady  Evelyn  Ward, 
with  300  other  women,  assisted  at  Washing- 
ton Inn.     British  homes  extended  hospitality 


following  letter  from  Admiral  Sims,  in  com- 
mand of  the  U.  S.  Naval  Forces  operating  in 
European  waters : 

"I  have  just  received  a  letter  from  a 
Commanding  Officer  of  one  of  the  vessels 
under  my  command,  which  frequently 
visits  Devonport,  and  he  informs  me  that 
there  has  been  a  marked  improvement  in 
the  conduct  of  the  crews  from  our  ves- 
sels when  on  liberty  in  Devonport,  due 
to  the  establishment  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
at  Plvmouth.     I   am  informed   that  the 


302 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


location  of  this  Y.  M.  C.  A.  is  excellent 
and  that  the  building  is  well  adapted  to 
meet  all  requirements  like  the  Eagle  Hut 
in  London,  and  already  seems  to  have 
become  a  gathering  place  for  our  men 
on  shore. 

"I  wish  to  express  my  appreciation  to 
all  who  have  had  a  hand  in  the  concep- 
tion and  operation,  especially  to  the  pres- 
ent secretaries,  for  doing  so  much  to  make 
our  men  feel  at  home  when  in  Plymouth 
and  Devonport." 

The  building  at  the  Victoria  Docks  and  the 
two  other  places  contributed  materially  to  the 
welfare  of  the  sailors.  Boxing  and  athletics 
were  emphasized  and  the  scope  of  educational 
classes  carried  on  from  August,  191 8,  to  a 
period  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice,  gives 
evidence  of  effective  and  valuable  service. 

Most  conspicuous  in  the  entire  n^val  field 
was  a  "Navy  Hut"  erected  at  Brest.  The 
hut  with  its  complete  equipment,  including 
shower  baths,  canteen,  soda-fountains,  class 
rooms,  lounge  and  auditorium,  was  the  center 
from  which  the  Association  sought  to  extend 
its  work  to  the  various  vessels  touching  the 
port.  Films,  gramophones,  records,  libraries 
and  athletic  goods  were  distributed  among  the 
ships.     Outstanding  in  service  in  the  hut  was 


a  money  exchange  department,  which  kept  two 
secretaries  constantly  busy  exchanging  money. 
In  one  month  the  turnover  was  Frs.  3,500,- 
000. 

The  remote  stations  of  Corfu,  Gibraltar 
and  Vladivostok  called  forth  appreciation  of 
the  Association's  efforts,  no  doubt  strengthened 
by  the  isolation.  Unique  in  these  distant 
places  was  the  service  rendered  on  behalf  of 
the  Allies,  such  as  the  contribution  to  the 
British  soldiers  and  sailors  at  Gibraltar.  At 
the  social  center  of  Corfu  it  was  not  uncom- 
mon to  hear  seven  different  languages  spoken 
at  the  afternoon  teas  served  by  American 
women  hostesses. 

Scattered  in  so  many  naval  ports  and  sta- 
tions, and  as  imperfect  as  was  its  service,  due 
to  war  conditions,  the  story  of  appreciation  of 
the  Red  Triangle  is  best  summed  up  in  a  let- 
ter from  the  Naval  Commander's  office  in 
London  as  follows: 

"Unfortunately,  like  all  reports  of 
the  splendid  work  of  the  American 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  it  is  only  partial.  Words 
and  figures  can  never  represent  the  work 
done  by  your  organization.  The  only 
real  return  is  the  deep,  deep  feeling  of 
gratitude  which  we  feel,  but  can  never 
adequately  express." 


PRISONER-OF-WAR  WORK 

Behind  the  Barbed-Wire  Barriers 


THE  fate  of  the  prisoners  during  the  days 
of  the  Civil  War  had  left  an  indelible 
impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  American 
people.  It  was  but  natural  that  the  American 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  should 
become  greatly  concerned  in  the  welfare  of 
the  prisoners  at  the  outset  of  the  World  War 
in  1914.  With  the  tremendous  task  of  mobil- 
izing the  entire  resources  of  the  contending 
countries,  it  w'as  inevitable  that  in  some  of 
the  countries  the  vast  throngs  of  prisoners 
should  be  neglected. 

A   few  months  after  the  outbreak  of  the 
war,  Dr.  Mott  made  a  visit  to  the  belligerent 


countries  to  discover  how  the  Association 
might  best  render  service.  While  visiting  in 
England  he  found  great  anxiety  regarding  the 
fate  and  the  life  of  the  prisoners  held  in  Ger- 
many. The  English  National  Council  of  the 
^  ung  Men's  Christian  Association  manifested 
an  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  prisoners 
within  the  United  Kingdom.  While  in  Ger- 
rr:any.  Dr.  Mott  found  that  the  authorities 
were  ready  to  consider  an  effort  on  the  part 
of  America  to  relieve  the  monotonous  strain 
of  the  prisoner's  life,  and  shortly  after  his  re- 
turn to  America,  "Y"  secretaries  were  des- 
patched to  Europe  to  lay  plans  for  the  work 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


303 


which  finally  covered  all  of  the  warring  coun- 
tries, with  the  exception  of  the  Ottoman 
Empire. 

In  England  a  demonstration  of  the  effec- 
tiveness of  the  Association's  work  in  several 
camps  was  made,  and  so  impressed  the  British 
authorities  that  very  definite  plans  were 
mapped  out  for  work  to  be  undertaken  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  provided  a  similar  work 
could  be  undertaken  in  Germany.  On  reach- 
ing Germany,  Dr.  Harte,  after  conference 
with  the  American  ambassador,  Mr.  Gerard, 


sociation  passed  into  a  period  of  reciprocity, 
for  it  was  quickly  seen  in  Germany,  where 
British,  French  and  Russians  were  confined 
together,  that  the  work  could  not  be  limited 
to  the  British,  but  must,  of  necessity,  include 
the  French  and  Russians. 

The  movement  having  reached  this  stage. 
Dr.  Harte,  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  saw  the  ne- 
cessity of  proceeding,  in  the  spring  of  191 5, 
to  Russia,  to  inaugurate  a  similar  effort. 
After  an  extended  visit  to  prisoner-of-war 
camps,  Dr.  Harte  returned  to  Petrograd,  and 


German  Prisoners  of  War 

"They  shall   not  pass"  the   barbed-wire    fence.     German-speaking  Y.   M.   C.  A.  secretaries  were 

recruited   Tor  work    among  German  prisoners. 


visited  several  of  the  camps,  and  on  making  his 
report,  permission  was  granted  in  February, 
1915,  for  two  buildings  to  be  erected.  Work 
was  immediately  begun  in  Ruhleben,  followed 
by  a  similar  effort  in  Gottingen. 

Simultaneously  work  was  undertaken  on 
behalf  of  the  prisoners  in  France,  much  "f 
which  was  carried  out  at  the  beginning  by  tne 
French  chaplains,  but,  later  on,  permission 
was  granted  by  the  War  Department  that  the 
work  should  be  undertaken  by  neutral  "Y" 
secretaries.  With  these  early  demonstrations 
the  respective  countries  were  quickly  convinced 
of  the  practical  value  of  a  program  of  activities 
for  the  prisoners  under  their  jurisdiction. 
From  informal  efforts  here  and  there,  the  As- 


a  general  approval  of  the  work  was  granted 
by  the  Russian  War  Ministry  in  July.  When 
this  news  reached  Berlin,  Ambassador  Gerard 
cabled  through  the  State  Department  to  Dr. 
Mott,  August  2,  1915:  "Harte  has  un- 
paralleled opportunity  for  service  to  Ger- 
man and  Russian  prisoners  on  a  reciprocal 
basis." 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Hibbard,  who  had 
initiated  the  work  in  France,  returned  to  Eng- 
land to  establish  the  "Y"  on  a  sound  founda- 
tion, and  in  response  to  the  united  calls, 
A..iPrican  "Y"  secretaries  were  rushed  to  the 
countries  to  undertake  this  service  on  behalf 
of  men,  who,  through  idleness  and  confine- 
ment, were  fast  losing  all  hope  of  ever  return- 


304 


THE  ARIVIIES  OF  MERCY 


ing  physically   and   mentally   fit   to    their   re- 
spective countries. 

During  these  early  stages  of  development 
the  World's  Committee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
at  Geneva  lent  its  assistance,  and  permission 
was  secured  in  May  from  the  Austro-Hun- 
garian  government  to  begin  in  tw^o  camps. 
Later  on  as  the  efifort  grew,  and  as  Italy  had 
been  visited  by  American  representatives,  who 
had  laid  the  plans  before  the  Italian  authori- 


As  the  war  progressed,  and  invalid  prison- 
ers were  being  sent  to  the  neutral  countries  to 
be  interned,  the  Association  organized  its 
work  in  Switzerland,  Denmark  and  Holland 
for  the  interned  officers  and  troops. 

The  American  Y.  M.  C,  A.  had  been  given 
a  unique  place  in  the  confidence  of  the  warring 
nations,  whereby  secretaries  were  permitted 
to  enter  the  respective  countries  to  carry  on 
this  united  effort  for  the  eleven  million  prison- 


Novel  Use  of  a  Windlass 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cro.^s  M^:i.:a  mc. 


The  dressing  stations  were  often  situated  many  feet  underijround  in  dugouts.     The  wounded  were 

brought  up  to  the  surface  by  means  of  a  windlass. 


ties,  additional  camps  were  opened  in  Austria 
on  a  reciprocal  basis  for  the  Serbians  and 
Italians,  Italy  having  expressed  her  approval 
of  a  similar  effort  on  behalf  of  the  Austrians. 
At  the  close  of  191 6,  Bulgaria  had  been  visited 
and  prison  camps  were  thrown  open  to  the 
efforts  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Finally  Turkey, 
which  had  been  slow  to  respond,  granted  per- 
mission to  the  World's  Committee,  after 
America's  entrance  into  the  war.  With  this 
permission  coming  so  late,  it  did  not  afford 
opportunity  to  organize  the  field. 


ers  of  war.  No  other  organization  had  been 
allowed  to  work  in  such  close  contact  with 
the  military  authorities  and  prisoners.  Sec- 
retaries in  some  of  the  countries  were  allowed 
to  live  in  officers'  quarters,  with  permission  to 
come  and  go  in  their  visitation  throughout 
their  district.  They  were  on  close  terms  with 
military  authorities,  and  with  the  prisoners  at 
large.  The  nations  had  given  the  Association 
an  official  standing,  and  its  work  had  been 
greatly  facilitated  by  the  lively  interest  mani- 
fested  bv  the  American  Embassies  and  their 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


305 


representatives.  Particularly  was  this  true 
in  the  Central  Powers.  Ambassador  Gerar3 
and  Ambassador  Penfield  played  an  important 
part  in  the  establishment  of  the  work  for  the 
Allied  prisoners. 

With  the  responsibility  thrust  upon  the  Red 
Triangle  of  caring  for  eleven  million  war 
prisoners,  it  was  necessary  to  develop  commit- 
tee organizations.  As  an  example  of  this 
work,  and  of  organizations  of  prisoners,  in 
Grodig,  Austria,  the  following  ten  committees 
of  prisoners  were  in  charge  of  the  Association 


within  the  camp.  As  early  as  January  i, 
19 1 6,  buildings  had  been  erected  in  the  Ger- 
man camps  of  Ruhleben,  Dantzig,  Crossen-on- 
Oder,  Frankfort-on-Oder,  Gottingen,  Mun- 
ster  No.  i,  Senne,  and  Darmstadt.  Seven 
other  buildings  were  erected  in  Germany  dur- 
ing the  succeeding  few  months.  These  were 
the  radiation  centers  for  serving  1,500,000 
prisoners,  of  whom  250,000  were  French,  25,- 
000  English  and,  of  the  remainder,  the  ma- 
jority Russians. 

As  no  other  organization  was  officially  at 


A  Dugout  in  Toronto,  Canada. 

Preparation  for  war  made  even  the  home  grounds  look  like  the  actual  scenes  of  war. 


efforts:  welfare,  school,  library  and  reading 
room,  music,  theater,  cinematograph,  athletics 
and  recreation,  arts,  wood  carving  and  hand- 
work, and  a  religious  committee  (composed 
of  one  representative  of  each  of  the  three 
faiths.  Catholic,  Greek-Orthodox  and  Jew- 
ish). 

For  the  furthering  of  general  activities,  the 
Red  Triangle  erected  huts  similar  to  those  in 
use  among  the  American  troops,  while  in 
other  instances  barracks  were  readapted,  and 
in  still  other  cases,  governments  loaned  some 
of  their  best  equipped  buildings,  having  recog- 
nized the  significance  of  the  Association's  life 


work  within  the  camps,  the  program  of  the 
Red  Triangle  consisted  not  only  of  the  pro- 
motion of  educational,  social,  recreational  and 
religious  activities,  but  much  was  done  along 
the  lines  of  relief  for  the  thousands  of  prison- 
ers destitute  of  clothing  and  substantial  food. 
To  "turn  the  dark  cloud  inside  out"  was 
the  major  effort  of   the  Association. 

Much  stress  was  placed  on  the  development 
of  social  activities  to  relieve  that  ever-present 
monotony  and  strain  of  remaining  behind 
barbed-wire  barriers.  In  most  camps,  the  As- 
sociation furnished  the  funds  to  secure  the  ma- 
terial whereby  buildings  could  be  erected  or 


3o6 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


readapted  to  serve  as  theaters,  dramatics  play- 
ing an  important  role.  Camps  were  enlivened 
and  hearts  quickened  bj'  bands  and  orchestras. 
In  other  instances  the  prisoners  requested 
merely  the  material  to  make  their  own  instru- 
ments, and  no  better  picture  of  this  is  to  be 
found  than  that  in  one  of  the  Siberian  camps, 
of  \\hich  a  "Y"  secretary  wrote  the  following: 

"The  instruments  are  mostly  home  made, 
nevertlieless  elaborate.  An  Austrian  instru- 
ment maker  has  provided  us  with  five  violins, 
two  violas,  a  'cello,  and  a  contra-bass  made 
of  birchwood.  I  provided  the  strings,  and  I 
know  not  how  many  unfortunate  Siberian 
horses  sacrificed  their  tails  for  the  bows. 
From  Irkutsk  I  brought  a  second-hand  trum- 
pet, drum,  clarionet  and  flute.  Last  night  they 
honored  me  with  a  concert,  everything  played 
from  memory,  as  up  to  date  we  have  not 
succeeded  in  locating  a  piece  of  orchestral 
music.  All  the  war  prisoners,  particularly 
the  Hungarians,  needed  music  almost  as  much 
as  food.  They  simply  cannot  exist  without  it. 
^Vhen  instruments  cannot  be  bought,  they 
make  them  out  of  whatever  happens  to  be 
available." 

Wherever  possible,  a  program  of  recreation 
and  physical  activities  was  carried  on,  the 
Association  providing  the  gymnasium  appara- 
tus and  athletic  supplies.  It  is  hard  to  picture 
the  value  placed  upon  two  or  three  tennis 
balls  to  men  and  officers  who  have  been  con- 
fined for  many  months.  It  is  to  be  remem- 
bered, however,  that  in  many  instances,  where 
prisoners  were  living  on  the  minimum  food 
rations,  there  was  no  desire  on  their  part  to 
participate  in  physical  exercise. 

Creature  comforts,  as  far  as  possible,  were 
supplied.  In  fact,  wherever  needs  were 
known,  an  effort  was  made  to  meet  them  by 
direct  purchases  or  by  cooperation  with  the 
Red  Cross  or  similar  organizations.  Daily 
requests  frequently  included  theatrical  cos- 
tumes, wigs,  rouge,  artist  paints  and  brushes, 
instruments,  music,  books,  church  decorations, 
school  supplies,  tools,  dentist  chairs  and  equip- 
ment, and  hospital  supplies  including  medicine, 
eye-glasses,  etc. 

The  Association  bent  every  effort  to  provide 
classes  not  only  for  the  illiterates,  many  of 
whom  were  to  be  found  in  large  numbers, 
but  for  the  university  graduates,  both  among 
the  men  and  officers.    In  Ruhleben,  Germany, 


the  camp  for  interned  civilians,  there  were 
1, 800  students  in  the  school,  with  150  teachers. 
In  one  of  the  camps  in  England  520  out  of 
990  were  in  classes. 

In  Mauthausen,  Austria,  the  Italians  had 
so  outgrown  the  original  "Y"  hut  that  a  new 
school  building  was  necessary  to  house  their 
fourteen  courses,  including  sculpture  and 
painting.     The  school,  under  the  leadership  of 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 


A  Trench  Trolley  to  Move  Wounded 

An     efficient     way     of     handling     the     badly 
wounded    with    a    minimum    of    movement    by 
means  of  a  trolley. 

an  Italian  professor,  was  so  effective  that  the 
Educational  Board  in  Italy  agreed  to  give 
credits  for  all  work  done  in  this  camp. 

Among  the  Russians  in  Wieselburg,  Aus- 
tria, over  2,000  passed  in  seven  months 
through  the  three  schools,  one  for  invalids, 
a  night  school  for  day  workers,  and  the  third 
for  officers.  Classes  included  not  only  the 
elementary  branches,  but  agriculture,  medicine, 
physics,  chemistry,  economics,  banking  and  so- 
ciology.    The  eagerness  of  the  uneducated  to 

secure   the   advantages   of   an   education   will 

VII— 20 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


307 


A  "Y"  Dugout  in  France 

The  Red  Triangle  followed  the  men,  even  into  the  depths. 


touitt'sy  of  lied   Cross  Maga~tiie. 


never  be  forgotten  by  the  secretaries  who  were 
privileged  to  help  the  illiterates,  who  even 
at  the  age  of  forty,  strove  under  the  adverse 
conditions  of  cold  rooms  and  empty  stomachs, 
to  master  reading,  writing  and  arithmetic. 

Aside  from  regular  educational  classes,  much 
was  done  through  the  lecture  plan,  and 
through  the  circulating  libraries.  Books  were 
as  eagerly  sought  after  as  meals,  and  in  spite 
of  the  millions  of  copies  forwarded  by  the 
equipment,  the  dearth  of  reading  material  was 
appalling.  In  many  instances  library  shelves 
were  empty,  as  the  volumes  were  constantly 
circulating  among  the  men.  Long  lines  of 
men  would  form  during  the  period  of  distri- 
bution of  books.  Book  binderies  became  an 
essential  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  Asso- 


ciation library  and  for  this  department  quali- 
fied men  had  to  be  found. 

Within  the  camps  were  to  be  found  many 
cripples  and  sick  men  who  were  without 
equipment.  The  Association  in  the  respective 
countries  developed  trade  schools  in  order  to 
help  reestablish  them  on  their  return  to  their 
countries.  It  was  not  infrequent  to  find  that 
the  Red  Triangle  had  furnished  work  benches 
and  tools  for  shoemaking,  tailoring,  and  car- 
pentering in  the  effort  to  stimulate  men  to 
prepare  themselves  for  the  future,  as  well  as 
to  afford  them  an  opportunity  to  relieve  the 
strain  of  unemployment. 

It  was  further  possible  to  supply  raw  ma- 
terials to  many  prisoners  who  craved  the  op- 
portunity of  making  articles  for  sale. 


3o8 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


It  should  be  mentioned  that  the  Crown 
Princess  of  Sweden  and  her  committee,  which 
had  established  an  office  in  Stockholm,  ren- 
dered invaluable  service  to  the  prisoners  of  all 
countries,  by  supplying  food  packages  and 
clothing,  and  by  rendering  numerous  other 
services  to  the  men  in  the  camps. 

The  French  and  English  prisoners  were 
most  ably  cared  for  by  their  respective  govern- 
ments, but  it  was  not  so  with  prisoners  from 
the  other  countries.  It  was  to  these  prisoners 
from  Russia,  Italy,  Serbia  and  Rumania  that 
the  Association  gave  particular  attention.  Not 
only  was  food  purchased  at  the  local  markets 
to  help  relieve  the  strain,  but  thousands  and 
thousands  of  food  packages  were  sent  in  from 
Switzerland,  Denmark  and  Holland  on  behalf 
of  the  prisoners. 

Later  on,  in  Austria,  cooperative  societies 
were  organized  to  help  the  prisoners  who  had 
money  but  who  were  unable,  except  through 
the  channels  of  the  Association,  to  secure  food 
packages  from  Denmark.  In  other  countries 
convalescent  kitchens  became  a  part  of  the 
Association's  work,  where  the  sick  and  in- 
valids were  given  an  opportunity  to  secure 
better  food.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  in 
the  first  five  months  of  191 8,  the  Association, 
on  behalf  of  the  Slavs  and  Italians  in  Ger- 
many, had  secured  150  tons  of  food.  In 
East  Siberia,  in  cooperation  with  the  Embassy, 
the  "Y"  secretary  for  this  district  had  been 
asked  to  distribute  ten  .to  twelve  train-loads 
of  food,  clothing  and  medicine,  and  doctors 
within  the  hospitals  and  camps  reported  offi- 
cially that  thousands  of  lives  had  thus  been 
saved  through  the  efforts  of  the  "Y." 

The  part  that  the  Red  Triangle  could  play  in  a  prison 
camp  can  be  best  grasped  by  the  enumeration  of  its 
equipment  in  one  of  the  best  developed  Austrian  camps. 
There   was  to   be   found : 

Russian-Orthodox   Church, 

Roman-Catholic     Church, 

Three   school   buildings,   one  of   which   was    for  invalids, 

Work    shop, 

Theatre, 

Cinema   Hall, 

Three  to  four  tea  halls,  the  social  centres  of  the  co- 
operative  societies. 

Two  buildings  readapted  for  Russian  boys,  separately 
maintained. 

Numbered  among  the  eleven  million  prison- 
ers of  war  were  to  be  found  boys,  ranging 
between  the  ages  of  ten  and  seventeen.  Nota- 
bly in  Germany  and  Austria,  special  attention 
was  given  to  these  youngsters  who  had  fol- 
lowed their  fathers  into  the  front-line  trenches. 

The  greatest  number  of  boys  of  one  nation 


came  from  Serbia.  In  the  early  days  these 
young  fellows  were  interspersed  with  the  older 
men  in  the  various  camps.  At  the  suggestion 
of  the  Association,  the  Austrian  War  Minis- 
try permitted  the  1,800  or  more  boys  to  be 
gathered  in  one  camp  where  the  "Y"  fur- 
nished a  large  theater  and  cinema  hall,  school 
house  with  class  rooms,  two  workshops,  and 
special  sleeping  accommodations.  No  greater 
service  was  rendered  to  Serbia  during  these 
dark  days  than  was  given  to  these  future  men 
of  that  war-swept  country. 

The  information  and  correspondence  de- 
partment, which  sought  out  missing  men,  and 
which  collaborated  information  concerning  the 
physical  condition  of  individual  prisoners, 
brought  relief  to  the  anxious  relatives,  w'ho 
received  the  news  (officially  approved) 
through  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  National  offices.  It 
frequently  afforded  opportunity  to  give  imme- 
diate financial  assistance  to  men  in  dire  need. 
Again,  prisoners  long  cut  of¥  from  news  would 
be  relieved  by  brief  messages  from  their  homes. 
Much  of  this  service  was  done  in  cooperation 
with  existing  Red  Cross  organizations. 

For  men  isolated  from  their  homes,  many 
of  whom  had  had  no  communication  for 
months,  at  times  for  years,  there  is  no  darker 
period  than  that  in  and  about  Christmas. 
To  these  men  the  Red  Triangle  bent  every 
effort  for  well-rounded  programs,  bringing 
to  them  as  far  as  possible  some  of  the  joys 
of  Christmas  while  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Thousands  of  dollars  were  spent  that  this 
touch  of  home  life  and  Christmas  cheer  might 
be  brought  to  prisoners. 

As  the  "Y"  sought  to  bring  a  touch  of  the 
spirit  of  Christmas  to  the  millions  of  prison- 
ers, many  of  whom  were  facing  their  third 
Christmas  behind  barbed-wire  inclosures,  dark 
clouds  were  gathering  on  the  horizon,  for 
shortly  America  was  to  enter  the  world  con- 
flict. 

The  Association  had  reached  its  peak  of 
expansion  at  the  time  of  the  break  of  diplo- 
matic relationship  with  Germany,  having  ex- 
tended its  work  from  Amherst,  Nova  Scotia, 
across  Europe  and  Siberia  to  Tashkent  in 
Turkestan,  then  to  Ahmednagar  near  Bom- 
bay, India,  and  even  to  the  German  prisoners 
in  Japan.  In  Russia  alone,  at  this  time,  sixty- 
four  prison  camps  were  receiving  the  minis- 
trv  of  the  Association. 


I 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


309 


Supplies  within  these  countries  were  too 
limited  and  shipments  from  neutral  countries 
were  too  difficult  to  secure,  to  bring  all  the 
relief  and  comfort  that  was  needed.  The  task 
was  beyond  all  human  hands  and  most  baffling 
to  handle  systematically. 

In  19 1 8,  when  relationships  were  becoming 
strained  between  the  United  States  and  the 
Central  Powers,  the  majority  of  the  "Y"  sec- 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 

Awaiting  the    Stretcher-Bearer 

Badly   wounded   soldiers,   after   receiving   first 
aid,  are  now  ready  for  stretcher-bearers  to  con- 
vey them  to  the  rear. 

retaries  within  the  latter  countries  volunteered 
to  remain  as  interned  workers  in  order  to 
continue  this  humanitarian  and  Christian  ser- 
vice, all  the  \\hile  realizing  that  the  prisoners 
within  the  Central  Powers  had  become  our 
allies,  and  as  Americans,  we  should,  if  ever, 
stand  by  them  in  their  waiting  for  the  coming 
of  peace. 

In  February,  as  diplomatic  relationships 
were  severed,  Germany  requested  the  "Y" 
secretaries  within  her  borders  to  leave  with 
the  Ambassador ;   making   the   exception   that 


Conrad  Hoffmann,  the  executive  secretary, 
and  one  or  two  others,  should  remain  until 
neutral  secretaries  could  take  over  the  work. 
The  enemy  countries  had  recognized  long  since 
the  beneficent  efifect  of  the  War  Prisoners' 
Aid. 

An  immediate  effort  was  made  to  reestablish 
the  War  Prisoners'  Aid  without  causing  a  seri- 
ous breakdown  of  the  ministry  to  the  war 
prisoners.  Through  the  cooperation  of  the 
World's  Committee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and 
the  National  Committees  of  Scandinavia,  neu- 
tral "Y"  secretaries  were  chosen  and  brought 
into  the  Central  Powers,  thus  replacing  as 
rapidly  as  possible  the  former  personnel. 
Other  neutral  secretaries  were  called  into  ser- 
vice in  France,  England,  Italy  and  Russia, 
relieving  Americans,  who,  for  the  sake  of  the 
reciprocal  basis  on  which  this  work  was  main- 
tained in  the  Central  Powers,  had  continued 
their  ministry.  The  American  government  so 
recognized  the  importance  of  continuing  this 
unique  and  unprecedented  service,  that  a  spe- 
cial license  was  granted  to  the  International 
Committee  to  retain  the  executive  responsi- 
bilities and  to  continue  the  support  of  the 
War  Prisoners'  Aid.  The  wisdom  of  carry- 
ing out  this  program  of  unselfish  service  was 
soon  demonstrated.  Within  the  German  Em- 
pire, the  ministry  of  Conrad  Hoffmann  and  his 
staff  proved  most  valuable  to  the  captured 
Americans,  for  conditions  had  become  desper- 
ate regarding  food  and  clothing.  Through 
contact  w  ith  the  American  prisoners,  as  Mr. 
Hoffmann  was  privileged  to  visit  their  camps 
from  time  to  time,  not  only  the  War  Prisoners' 
Aid  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  at  Berne  and  Copen- 
hagen was  informed  regarding  the  needs  of 
the  Americans,  but  the  American  Red  Cross, 
to  which  had  been  committed  the  task  of  sup- 
plying food  and  clothing,  received  valuable  in- 
formation. In  a  formal  report  to  the  War 
Department,  the  National  War  Work  Council 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  said : 

"Mr.  Hoffmann  was  able  to  arrange  for  the 
concentration  of  American  prisoners  in  a  sin- 
gle camp,  to  secure  material  improvement  in 
housing  conditions  and  to  make  an  arrange- 
ment whereby,  instead  of  being  subjected  to 
the  petty  tA'ranny  of  German  sergeants,  the 
men  were  allowed  to  govern  themselves  within 
the  limits  of  the  camp." 

The  U.  S.  War  Department  granted  per- 


3IO 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


mission  to  the  "Y"  to  carry  forward  its  pro- 
gram in  the  major  camps  for  prisoners  in 
England  as  well  as  those  in  France.  This 
had  a  reciprocal  benefit  upon  the  Americans 
behind  the  German  lines. 

It  is  a  matter  of  diplomatic  record  that  the 
establishment  of  "reprisal  camps"  was  several 
times  avoided  through  the  War  Prisoners' 
Aid. 

Quickly  following  the  signing  of  the  armis- 
tice the  "Y"  serving  the  troops  in  the  combat 
zone  was  called  into  unexpected  ministry  to 
thousands  of  returning  war  prisoners,  both 
British,  French  and  American.  To  the  twenty 
thousand  Russian  prisoners  who  were  trans- 
ferred to  France,  the  War  Prisoners'  Aid 
brought  special  aid  and  comfort.  The  Inter- 
Allied  Commission  which  proceeded  to  Ger- 
many to  care  for  the  welfare  of  the  Allied 
prisoners  within  the  Empire,  called  upon  Mr. 
Hoffmann  and  his  staff  to  redouble  their  ef- 


forts on  behalf  of  the  600,000  Russian  prison- 
ers still  detained  in  Germany,  many  of  whom 
had  been  in  prison  enclosures  since  the  fall 
of  1914. 

In  summing  up  America's  part  in  the  World 
War,  this  unique  and  unparalleled  service  to 
prisoners  of  war  stands  out  as  one  of  the 
brightest  chapters  in  history.  Ambassador 
Gerard,  writing  in  1916  from  Berlin  to  Dr. 
Mott,  tersely  comments:  "This  is  the  best  and 
most  novel  work  of  the  War." 

The  spirit  of  America,  her  ideals  and  her 
principles  of  democracy,  freedom  and  equal- 
ity were  interpreted  by  the  American  "Y" 
secretaries,  who,  on  behalf  of  the  American 
people,  sought  through  the  heat  of  the  war 
to  extend  friendship  to  the  unfortunate  prison- 
ers. The  establishment  of  this  friendship,  in 
spite  of  the  hatred  generated  in  the  warring 
countries,  will  be  a  lasting  honor  and  glory 
to  America. 


FOYER  DU  SOLDAT,  UNION  FRANCO-AMERICAINE, 

Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  New  Entente  Cordiale 


THROUGH  the  medium  of  the  Foyer  du 
Soldat — the  literal  translation  of  which 
is  the  "soldier's  hearth" — and  hearth  symbol- 
izes home  in  France — the  opportunity  that 
came  to  America  to  work  in  the  French  Army 
was  not  only  inviting,  it  was  compelling.  On 
June  25,  1917,  General  Pershing  said:  "The 
greatest  service  which  America  can  render 
to  the  cause  of  the  Allies  at  the  present  mo- 
ment is  to  extend  the  work  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
to  the  entire  French  Army." 

Before  the  United  States  entered  the  Great 
War,  the  Foyer  work  was  established  in  the 
French  Army  under  the  name  of  "Les  Foy- 
ers du  Soldat,"  with  the  necessary  funds  for 
its  operation  furnished  by  the  International 
Committee  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations  of  North  America. 

Because  of  the  crippled  condition  of  the 
French  National  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  due  to  the 
war,  the  work  was  initiated  by  M.  Emman- 
uel  Sautter,   secretary  of   the   World's   Com- 


mittee, Y.  M.  C.  A.  The  first  Foyer  was 
opened  in  January,  19 15,  at  Baccarat,  in  the 
Vosges. 

When  the  French  military  authorities  in 
that  section  saw  the  influence  of  the  Foyer 
in  producing  contentment  and  sobriety  among 
the  poilus,  they  asked  for  an  extension  of  the 
service.  Slowly  the  work  expanded  through 
191 5,  until  in  December  there  were  20 
Foyers,  of  which  14  were  at  the  front.  In 
the  following  year  there  was  improvement  of 
existing  Foyers  and  installation  of  new  ones, 
particularly  in  the  Verdun  sector  in  which 
Marshal  Petain  commanded.  In  all,  approxi- 
mately 70  huts  were  opened  prior  to  Sep- 
tember,   191 7. 

In  July,  191 7,  General  Pershing  told  D.  A. 
Davis,  secretary  of  the  International  Com- 
mittee, Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  France,  that  he  had 
discussed  the  desirability  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
work  in  both  the  American  and  French 
Armies  with   General   Petain,   and   that  they 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


311 


were  both  agreed  that  the  extension  of  the 
Foyer  service  would  be  the  best  thing  that 
could  be  done  by  Americans,  at  that  time, 
for  the  morale  of  the  French  forces. 

Accordingly  the  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.  at 
once  made  an  offer  to  increase  the  number  of 
Foyers  to  200.     General  Petain  invited  Fran- 


Army  was  this  augmented  Foyer  work,  that 
three  months  later,  October  19,  191 7,  the 
Prime  Minister  and  Secretary  of  War,  Paul 
Painleve,  requested,  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  that  the  number  of 
Foyers  be   increased   to    1,300. 

The  Reglernentation  Gnicrale  des  CEuvres 


Many  Weary  Days  Were  Brightened 

The  Association  men  served  in  hospitals  as  well  as  in  the  field.     They  read  to  the  wounded,  and 
in  many  other  ways  brightened  their  days  during  the  period  of  convalescence. 


cis  B.  Sayre,  son-in-law  of  President  Wilson, 
then  in  France  as  a  "Y"  executive,  and  other 
Y,  M.  C.  A.  representatives  to  a  luncheon 
at  Army  headquarters  at  which  the  new 
Foyer  program  was  perfected. 

Thus,  Americans,  together  with  French 
Directors,  became  actively  engaged  in  this  ser- 
vice to  the  French  poilus. 

So  stimulating  to  the  morale  of  the  French 


de  Guerre  aux  Armees,  published  February 
23,  1918,  confirmed  the  arrangements  made 
for  carrying  out  this  enlarged  program  and 
stated  that  the  French  War  Department 
would  furnish  the  buildings,  tables,  benches, 
light  and  heat  for  the  Foyers. 

Then,  in  the  spring  of  1918,  came  the 
further  request  from  the  War  Deparement 
that  the   1,300  Foyers  proposed  be  increased 


312 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


to  2,000.  The  response  of  the  Red  Triangle 
to  these  invitations  to  serve  France  resulted 
in  the  establishment  of  1,452  Foyers  by  Feb- 
ruary 14,  19 19,  A  total  of  130  Foyers  were 
destroj^ed  by  enemy  shell-fire  or  were  cap- 
tured by  the  Boche  during  the  active  period 
of  warfare. 


Two  days  before  the  armistice  with  Ger- 
many, Marshal  Foch,  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  Allied  Armies,  said :  "Among  all  the 
organizations  generously  aided  by  the  Inter- 
national Committee  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Associations  of  North  America,  the 
Foyers    du    Soldat    particularly    merits    our 


©     Committee  on  Public  Information. 


Refugees  from  Chateau-Thierry 

People  lived  on  the  road  while  the  battle  raged.     This    picture    is    typical    of    what    happened    all 

over  invaded  France. 


In  fitting  commemoration  of  that  great 
Franco-American  victory,  "Number  1,000" 
was  assigned  to  the  Foyer  at  St.  Mihiel.  in 
September,  191 8.  The  old  "Kaiser  Wilhelm 
Haus"  in  the  city  of  Metz,  fitted  up  as  a 
recreation  center  for  German  troops,  was 
requisitioned  as  Foyer  "Number  1,200"  in 
December,  19 18,  for  the  French  Army  of 
Occupation  in  the  capital  city  of  the  repatri- 
ated  Province  of  Lorraine. 


gratitude.  By  the  wholesome  relaxation  and 
well-being  which  the  Foyers  furnish  to  the 
combatants,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  largely  con- 
tributed to  the  magnificent  morale  of  the 
Allied    Armies." 

For  by  that  time  the  work  of  the  Red 
Triangle  Foyers  had  been  extended  to  three 
continents,  buildings  being  located  in  France, 
in  the  Balkans,  in  northern  Africa  and  in 
Siberia. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


313 


In  1919,  Foyers  were  located  in  France, 
Alsace  and  Lorraine,  Belgium,  occupied  por- 
tions of  Germany,  Luxemburg,  Greece,  Ru- 
mania, the  Caucasus,  Asia  Minor  at  Smyrna 
and  Konia  (Iconium  of  the  New  Testament), 
Morocco,  Tunis,  Algeria,  and  Siberia. 

After  a  time  the  French  Navy,  seeing  the 
success  of  the  Red  Triangle  in  the  Army, 
asked  for  a  similar  service,  and  buildings  were 
opened  at  the  ports  under  the  name  "Les 
Foyers  du  Marin."  In  addition,  the  Med- 
iterranean and  other  important  French  fleets 
took  with  them  tents  and  other  Foyer  equip- 
ment, as  well  as  directors. 

Two  American  women  in  French  Foyer 
du  Soldat  service  were  killed  in  France  by 
the  Germans:  Miss  Marion  G.  Crandell,  of 
Alameda,  California,  and  Miss  Winona  C. 
Martin,  of  Rockville  Center,  Long  Island, 
N.  Y.  Miss  Crandell  was  killed  by  a  Ger- 
man shell  in  the  town  Ste.  Menehould,  close 
by  the  Argonne  Forest,  on  March  26,  19 18, 
during  the  great  German  offensive.  She  was 
across  the  street  from  the  Foyer  in  which 
she  had  been  working,  utterly  disregarding 
her  own  safety  to  serve  the  wounded  and 
weary  poilus.  Miss  Martin  was  killed  in 
Paris  during  an  air  raid  by  German  Gothas 
when  the  hospital  in  which  she  was  convalesc- 


ing   was    partially    destroyed    by    an    aerial 
bomb. 

Eight  Americans,  one  woman  and  seven 
men,  in  the  "Y"  uniform  were  awarded  the 
Croix  de  Guerre  for  distinguished  service 
and  bravery  under  fire  while  serving  with 
the  Foyers  du  Soldat.  IVIarshal  Petain  per- 
sonally cited  Miss  Evelyn  Garneu  Smalley, 
of  New  York  City,  who  was  decorated  with 
the  French  War  Cross,  with  one  star,  and 
later  she  received  another  citation  for  bravery 
and  a  second  star. 

Over  300,000  French  soldiers  and  sailors 
enjoyed  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  the 
Foyers  daily  during  the  months  of  greatest 
activity,  and  from  5,000,000  to  10,000,000 
letters  were  written  monthly  on  stationery 
furnished  by  the  Y.   M.   C.  A. 

This  work  was,  first  of  all,  a  ministry  to 
the  material  needs  of  the  French  soldiery. 
What  this  meant  to  the  men  may  be  seen 
when  one  remembers  that  the  ordinary  French 
poilu  received  fifteen  cents  a  day  as  pay.  The 
many  creature  comforts  provided  for  hini  at 
the  Foyers  were  a  Godsend,  creating  in  his 
heart  a  tremendous  feeling  of  gratitude  to 
America  and  Americans. 

As  many  a  poilu  has  expressed  it,  the  Foyer 
"made  courage  mount  up." 


ATHLETICS  UNDER  THE  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

American  Sports  Arranged  for  the  Entire  Army  Helped  to  Keep  up  the 

Fighting  Spirit  of  the  Doughboy 


1"^HE  famous  Inter-Allied  Games,  and  the 
presentation  to  the  French  Government 
of  the  Pershing  Stadium  at  Joinville-le-Pont, 
near  Paris,  wherein  the  championships  were 
held  under  the  joint  supervision  of  the 
A.  E.  F.  and  the  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  will 
go  down  into  history  as  a  fitting  climax  to 
the  great  progress  in  athletics,  g^^mnastics  and 
sports  made  overseas  among  the  armies  and 
navies  and  civilian  peoples  of  the  Allies, 
chiefly  under  American  stimulation,  super- 
vision  and   direction. 


This  stadium,  of  concrete  construction, 
seating  22,000  persons,  was  built  by  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.,  with  American  and  French  army  co- 
operation in  labor  and  engineering  materials, 
to  make  possible  the  Intcr-Allicd  Games, 
Named  after  General  Pershing,  the  stadium 
is  a  model  of  its  kind.  Its  running  track 
measures  500  meters.  General  Pershing  ex- 
tended invitations  to  twenty-one  Allied  armies 
and    navies   to   participate. 

The  history  of  athletic  work  for  the 
A.  E.  F.  is  an  illumination  of  one  of  the  po- 


314 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


tent  war-winning  factors,  and  did  much  to 
make  possible  our  historically  fit-to-fight 
Americans.  In  this  athletic  program,  the 
American  Y.  M.  C.  A.  played  a  major  part. 
In  July,  191 7,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  sent  Dr. 
J.  H.  McCurdy  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  to 
head-up  the  athletic  work  of  the  Association 
in  France,  which  was  extended  to  other  coun- 
tries and  even  into  the  Army  of  Occupation 
in  Germany  after  the  signing  of  the  armis- 
tice.    Following  his  arrival  and  inspection  of 


The  first  athletic  director  of  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  in  France  was  assigned  from  the  then 
Recreation  Department,  September  i,  191 7. 
On  May  9,  191 8,  the  Department  of  Ath- 
letics, Hygiene  and  Health  was  created  and 
on  August  I  the  direction  of  sport  was  en- 
trusted to  a  separate  Athletic  Deparment. 

The  aim  from  the  beginning  was  to  assist 
men  in  attaining  a  maximum  of  physical  fit- 
ness, while  affording  opportunity  for  play 
and    fostering   a   spirit   of   healthful   competi- 


Sports  Encouraged  Officially 

The  armies  sent  over  to  France  were  not  mere   soldier-armies.     They   were   citizen-armies.      So 
the  ordinary  amusements  of  2,000,000  active  young  men  were  not  forgotten. 


the  field,  he  immediately  cabled  for  a  large 
number  of  athletic  directors  and  a  steady 
stream  of  experienced  men  began  to  flow  into 
France.  During  the  entire  war  period  no 
less  than  700  athletic  directors  were  sent. 

All  was  not  smooth  in  the  operation  of  the 
"Y"  athletic  program.  The  loss  of  $25,000 
worth  of  athletic  equipment  when  the  S.  S. 
Kansan  was  torpedoed,  was  the  first  hamper- 
ing influence.  This  naturally  caused  a  delay 
in  the  arrival  of  athletic  supplies.  However, 
another  shipment  was  rushed  from  the  United 
States. 


tion.  When  the  "Keep-Fit-to-Fight"  slogan 
lost  its  potency,  "Keep-Fit-for-Home"  became 
the  cry. 

The  department's  report  for  January,  1919, 
showed  5,040,408  participants  and  3,984,656 
spectators.  These  figures  were  conservative 
in  the  opinion  of  the  Army  officers  in  a  posi- 
tion to  know. 

This  department  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  dis- 
tributed without  cost  to  the  A.  E.  F.  $750,- 
000  worth  of  supplies  in  191 8  (initial  order 
for  $300,000  was  placed  Nov.  14,  191 7)  and 
continued  sending  out.   largely  with   the  aid 


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3i6 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


of  transportation  furnished  by  the  Army, 
$1,500,000  worth  of  supplies  which  were  or- 
dered for  1919  on  June  28,   1918. 

Not  a  single  dollar's  worth  of  athletic  ma- 
terial was  sold  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  at  any 
time.  All,  whether  bought  on  its  order,  re- 
ceived through  the  Salvage  Department  of  the 
Army,  or  through  gifts  from  other  organiza- 
tions, were  distributed  free,  without  reference 
to  overhead  costs. 

Three  men  were  responsible  in  major  de- 
gree for  the  success  of  the  athletic  program 
in  the  A.  E.  P.,  notably  Col.  Wait  C.  John- 
son, chief  athletic  officer  of  the  Army;  El- 
wood  S.  Brown,  chief  athletic  director  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association;  and  Dr. 
George  J.  Fisher,  director  of  the  physical 
work  bureau,  International  Committee.  The 
program  agreed  upon  by  them  _was  compre- 
hensive and  included  the  promotion  of  mass 
athletics,  company  pentathlon  contests,  the 
holding  of  A.  E.  F.  championships  and  Inter- 
AUied  Games.  Instruction  regarding  them 
were  sent  out  in  official  orders  to  the  army. 

The  A.  E.  F.  championships  included  these 
events:  boxing  and  wrestling,  track  and  field 
sports,  baseball  and  the  "All-Point  Company" 
championships,  which  is  a  pentathlon,  includ- 
ing the  100-yard  dash,  800-yard  dash,  stand- 
ing broad  jump,  i2j/4-pound  shell  and  pull-up. 
All  events  were  open  to  both  officers  and  men 
and  all  events  were  most  keenly  contested. 

The  plan  of  supervision  of  athletics  for 
the  A.  E.  F.  was  to  divide  France  into  eight 
regions,  with  a  regional  "Y"  director  in  charge 
and  divisional  "Y"  athletic  directors  to  serve 
under  these  regional  directors.  In  addition 
many  athletic  directors  were  placed  in  huts, 
in  port  cities,  and  at  other  points. 

In  port  cities  and  base  camps  it  was  tiie 
aim  to  keep  the  men  busy,  inasmuch  as  they 
were  detained  at  these  places  without  drills 
and  time  hung  heavy.  Inter-company,  inter- 
battalion  and  regimental  competitions  were 
organized.  Even  in  tiie  evening  it  w'as  a  com- 
mon sight  after  mess  to  see  hundreds  of  fig- 
ures in  khaki  playing  simultaneously  all  forms 
of  athletic  sports,  such  as  basketball,  base- 
ball, football,  volley  ball,  quoits,  boxing,  and 
the  like. 

Naturally,  during  the  combat  periods,  it 
was  necessary  to  contrive  many  ingenious 
methods  whereby  sports  could  be  adapted  to 


conditions  as  they  were  found  with  moving 
troops. 

The  greatest  opportunity  came  upon  the 
signing  of  the  armistice,  when  the  moet  stu- 
pendous program  in  the  history  of  sport  in 
the  world  was  organized  in  France  and  in 
the  Army  of  Occupation. 

The  athletic  department  submitted  to 
American  Army  Headquarters  early  in  Octo- 
ber, 1918,  a  tentative  plan  of  athletics  for 
the  entire  army  in  Europe,  to  be  put  into 
operation  during  the  demobilization  period, 
when  that  should  arise.  Immediately  after 
the  signing  of  the  armistice  the  department 
worked  out  with  the  Army  the  details  of  the 
program  in  a  series  of  conferences,  which  cul- 
minated in  the  issuance,  December  29,  19 18, 
of  General  Order  No.  241.  Under  this  or- 
der the  department  operated  along  three 
lines:  (i)  mass  games;  (2)  A.  E.  F.  cham- 
pionships;   (3)     Inter- Allied    games. 

The  orders  specifically  provided  for  a  joint 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  Army  and  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  The  exact  status  of  the  Associa- 
tion's athletic  directors  was  set  forth  in  the 
following  paragraph: 

"4.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  with  the  approval  of 
the  Commander-in-Chief,  has  organized  a 
Department  of  Athletics  and  is  prepared  to 
give  every  assistance  in  the  development  of 
general  athletics  and  the  arrangement  and 
management  of  competitions  between  military 
units.  It  has  a  large  number  of  specially 
trained  physical  directors,  with  wide  experi- 
ence in  mass  play  and  in  other  athletic  activi- 
ties, now  in  its  ranks  in  France.  One  of 
these  will  be  attached  to  the  staff  of  each  di- 
vision and  separate  unit,  will  be  designated 
in  Orders  as  Divisional  (or  Unit)  Athletic 
Officer,  and  will  be  charged  with  the  respon- 
sibility for  the  arrangement,  management  and 
general  conduct  of  athletic  activities  through- 
out the  unit." 

MASS  GAME'S 

The  department  worked  in  cooperation 
with  the  Army  in  an  effort  to  interest  every 
man  to  take  part  in  some  form  of  activity. 
A  handbook  on  the  subject  was  compiled  by 
the  department  and  printed  by  the  Army,  and 
copies  went  to  every  Army  Athletic  Officer 
and  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Athletic  Director  in  France, 
England   and   Italy. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


317 


Boxing  contests  were  exceedingly  popular 
in  the  A.  E.  F.  Crowds  flocked  to  see  the 
four-round  bouts  in  the  Feste  Hall  in  Cob- 
lenz,  and  at  Treves  in  Germany,  in  the  Cirque 
de  Paris  and  the  Palais  de  Glace  in  Paris,  all 
under  the  management  of  the  Y.  M,  C.  A. 

That  the  work  was  a  necessary  part  of  the 
intensive  military  training  of  the  Army,  per- 


ness,  which  is  so  necessary  to  the  morale  and 
which    breeds   contentment." 

The  very  wide  extent  of  the  Red  Triangle 
athletic  work  was  strikingly  summed  up  in  a 
report  from  Army  Athletic  Directors  to  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  which  read: 

"We  know,  even  now  (April,  1919),  that 
our  program  has  been  a  success,  not  only  in 


A  Chateau  in  Chaumont 


(y)     Undcrivood  and   U nderuooj. 


Formerly   these   were  the  headquarters  of   Fershintj,    then    they   were   turned   over   to   the   Y.   W. 

C.  A.  for  use  as  a  vacation  house  for  American  women. 


haps  was  given  its  most  forceful  expression 
by  General  Pershing,  who,  in  a  communica- 
tion to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  said: 

"I  am,  therefore,  now  most  anxious  to  en- 
courage in  every  way  possible  the  athletic  side 
of  our  training,  both  as  a  means  of  keeping 
the  personnel  wholesomely  and  enjoyably  oc- 
cupied during  the  period  not  needed  for  other 
military  duties,  and  as  a  means  of  keeping 
them  in  the  state  of  physical  and  mental  fit- 


interesting  our  own  soldiers,  but  in  directing 
the  attention  of  all  the  Allied  nations  to  the 
wonderful  possibilities  of  athletics  and  sport 
in  general,  as  carried  out  by  the  American 
Army. 

"In  the  month  of  January,  a  most  un- 
favorable month,  a  major  general  reported 
that  his  entire  army  had  a  record  of  79.5  per 
cent,  participation  in  sport.  A  division  for  the 
same  month  reported  80  per  cent." 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  WORK  FOR  THE  RUSSIAN  ARMIES  AND 

THE  RUSSIAN  PEOPLE 

The  Government  Changed — The  "Y"  Did  Not 


THE  war-time  service  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
in  Russia  outside  of  the  prison  camps, 
dated  from  the  early  months  of  1917.  Dr. 
Mott's  visit  to  European  Russia  as  a  member 
of  the  United  States  Commission  headed  by 
Elihu  Root  convinced  him  and  his  fellow 
Comimssioners,  notably  General  Hugh  Scott, 
of  the  importance  of  further  extending  Red 
Triangle  service  in  the  armies  of  Russia  and 
to  her  civilians  in  war  work.  General  Scott, 
telling  of  the  early  Y.  IVI.  C.  A.  war  work 
among  the  Russians,  wrote: 

"As  I  traveled  through  Russia  a  few  weeks 
ago,  I  was  utterly  astonished  at  the  many 
evidences  of  wonderful  organization  with 
which  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  covered  even  the 
most  remote  parts  of  that  country.  The 
members  of  our  Commission  found  them 
everywhere." 

This  work  was  maintained  until  secretarial 
reinforcements  from  America  arrived  in  the 
fall  of  1917.  The  story  of  this  early  war 
work  in  Russia  connects  very  closely  with 
that  of  the  "Y's"  prisoner  aid  service  in  the 
Russian  empire.  Two  months  before  the 
revolution  which  overthrew  the  Czar — early 
in  January,  191 7 — the  Russian  general,  Kuro- 
patkin,  became  interested  in  the  work  done 
for  prisoners  and  granted  the  Association  per- 
mission to  start  specimen  work  with  one  of 
the   Russian   regiments. 

For  this  beginning,  pioneer  secretaries  were 
quickly  released  without  loss  of  time  from 
the  prisoner  aid  work — their  places  being 
taken  by  neutrals  after  America  entered  the 
war — and  were  able  first  to  acquire  one  large 
army  barrack  as  a  Red  Triangle  hut  for 
movie  shows,  lectures,  and  entertainments  for 
the  2nd  Siberian  Regiment  at  Tashkent,  in 
Turkistan.  A  small  club  house  was  soon  after 
obtained  for  reading,  writing,  games,  can- 
teen, and  educational  classes.  Later  permis- 
sion  was   granted   the  Association   to  extend 


its  work  to  the  ist  Siberian  Regiment,  located 
thirty  miles  from  a  railroad,  far  from  any 
town,  on  the  already  crumb-ling  Eastern  front. 

The  demonstrations  given  in  these  two  regi- 
ments so  impressed  officials  of  the  Kerensky 
government  that  they  asked  for  the  exten- 
sion of  the  American  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work 
throughout  the  Russian  Army,  and  granted 
to  the  Association  a  charter  covering  its  op- 
erations which  was  among  the  most  liberal 
furnished  by  any  government  during  the  war. 
However,  by  the  time  re-enforcements  ar- 
rived from  the  United  States  to  undertake 
this  work,  the  Kerensky  regime  was  in  the 
process  of  dissolution,  and  national  demorali- 
zation was  already  well  advanced. 

Nevertheless,  the  American  "Y"  secretaries 
established  a  line  of  huts  at  the  chief  bases 
just  back  of  the  old  Russo-German  front — 
stretching  from  Petrograd  through  Pskov, 
Minsk,  Kiev,  Jassy,  Odessa,  and  Tiflis — or 
from  the  Gulf  of  Finland  to  the  Black  Sea 
and  across  to  the  Caspian ;  also  in  the  great 
troop  reserve  centers,  like  Moscow,  Kharkov 
and  Kazan. 

In  Siberia  the  "Y"  workers  were  located 
at  Vladivostok,  Harbin,  Irkutsk,  Omsk;  in 
eastern  European  Russia  at  Samara,  Kazan 
and  Nizhni  Novgorod,  and  in  northern  Russia 
at   Vologda,  Archangel  and   Murmansk. 

A  distinctively  civilian  service  was  pro- 
moted by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Bolshevik 
Russia  in  the  form  of  a  floating  agricultural 
exhibit  on  the  Volga  River.  Aided  by  the 
Soviet  government,  the  cooperative  societies, 
the  Russian  Church,  and  the  American  Red 
Cross,  a  corps  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.  rural  special- 
ists, accompanied  by  representatives  of  the 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  and  31  Russian  helpers,  visited 
the  cities  and  villages  on  both  banks  of  the 
Volga  from  Simbirsk  to  Kastroma. 

Before  the  entrance  of  the  Allied  troops 
into      Siberia       in       191 8,       the      American 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


319 


Y.  M.  C.  A.,  in  cooperation  with  the  Japa- 
nese and  National  Committees,  arranged  for 
extending  the  personnel,  equipment,  and 
supplies  to  the  several  new  contingents, 
American,  British,  Canadian,  French,  Ital- 
ian, Japanese,  Czecho-Slovak,  and  Russian 
forces. 

From  Irkutsk,  Siberia,  February  25,  1919, 
came  a  document  to  Secretary  of  State  Lan- 
sing,   revealing   the   broadening  scope  of   the 


relief    is    efficiently    conducted    and    deserves 
special  mention." 

By  March,  19 19,  the  staff  of  American 
"Y"  secretaries  in  Siberia  was  nearly  100, 
distributed  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Ural 
iVIountains.  Besides  the  large  base  huts  at 
troop  centers,  there  were  in  operation  no 
fewer  than  50  railroad  freight  cars  rebuilt  to 
serve  as  rolling  huts,  heated  and  equipped  for 
winter  use  and  moved  back  and  forth  along 


An  Honored  Representative 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magasine. 


The  tattered  Stars  and  Stripes  which  flew  over  the  first  American  Ambulance  in  France,  through- 
out   the    Franco-Prussian    War    of    1870-71. 


Red  Triangle  service  in  Siberia.  This  cable 
from  American  Consul  General  Harris,  rep- 
resenting the  American  government  in  west- 
ern Siberia,   read  in  part: 

"Up  to  February  ist  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in 
Ekaterinburg  has  served  37,896  returning 
Russian  war  prisoners.  Y.  M.  C.  A.  issued 
gift  packages  containing  wooden  spoon,  one- 
half  pound  sugar,  one-half  pound  sugar  bis- 
cuit and  ten  cigarettes  to  20,525  prisoners 
and  issued  clothing  to  1,148.  Their  great 
difficulty  is  securing  clothing  to  meet  the 
extreme  need   in   this  severe   weather.     This 


the  railroad  as  occasion  required,  to  reach  the 
smaller  detachments.  Thus  in  Siberia  alone, 
the  "Y"  operated  over  a  6,000-mile  line. 

To  meet  the  dearth  of  manufactured  sup- 
plies, the  Association  operated  on  its  own 
account  a  sausage  factory  and  two  biscuit 
factories,  and  absorbed  the  principal  product 
of  several  chocolate-making  plants.  Tons  of 
sugar  were  imported  from  the  East  Indies. 
Supply  trains  were  operated  from  Vladivo- 
stok to  the  Huron,  and  from  America  more 
than  120,000  feet  of  moving  picture  film 
were  shipped  monthly. 


EGYPT,  GALLIPOLI  AND  PALESTINE 

With  the  Swift  Moving  Troops 

ACTIVITIES  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  were  On    August    17,    General    Maxwell    dedi- 

rapidly   being   put    on    a    firm    basis    in  cated  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  center  at  the  Esbekieh 

Egypt  when  the  World  War  began,  having  Gardens    in    Cairo,    which    has   since    become 

been  started  in   19 13  at  Cairo.  famous   throughout  the  world. 

In  September,  1914,  the  first  20,000  Terri-  Located  on  the  edge  of  one  of  the  most 
torials  arrived  at  Cairo,  where  barracks  were  notoriously  evil  districts  of  any  city  in  the 
insufficient,  and  5,000  of  the  men  were  en-  world,  the  Esbekieh  Gardens  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
camped  in  the  desert  near  Heliopolis  close  by  has  had  for  its  constant  aim  the  furnishing  of 
the  site  of  the  ancient  city  of  On.  Prompt  wholesome  entertainment  to  the  soldiers  on 
Red  Triangle  service  provided  for  these  two  leave  in  Cairo,  Band  concerts,  boxing  enter- 
groups  was  the  beginning  of  work  which  was  tainments,  moving  pictures,  skating,  chess, 
the  subject  of  highest  praise  from  leaders  checkers,  and  amateur  theatricals  were 
of  the  E.   E.  F.  stressed.     In   191 8  a  $10,000  outdoor  swim- 

The  varied  Red  Triangle  war  work  with  ming  pool  was  added  to  the  plant — a  distinct 

the  E.  E.  F.  can  only  be  sketched  in  roughest  acquisition  in  such  a  climate, 
outline.      Scenes   and    centers   shifted    rapidly  The  religious  and   educational  end   of   the 

all    over    Egypt,     from     the     Mediterranean  work  included  Bible  classes,  sermons,  the  dis- 

1,500  miles  up  into  the  Sudan  to  Khartoum,  tribution  of  many  thousands  of  Bibles  and  the 

from   the   Suez  Canal  west   into  the   Sahara  teaching  of  various  courses  asked  for  by  the 

Desert,  to  Gallipoli  in  European  Turkey,  into  men. 

the  Sinai  Desert,  and  with  the  Palestine  cam-  On    September    11,    1915,    His    Excellency 

paign,  when  the  Red  Triangle  followed  Gen-  Sir   Henry  MacMahon,    British   High   Com- 

eral  Allenby  into  Jerusalem  the  day  after  the  missioner  for  Egypt,  dedicated  a  building  at 

redemption  of  the  Holy  City  from  the  Turks.  Alexandria,    the   first   of   nine   centers   which 

By  January,  1915,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  activi-  were  busy  in  that  city  when  the  war  closed, 

ties  had  grown  to  such  proportion  that  Ma-  Sir  Reginald  Wingate,  his  successor  as  British 

jor    General    Sir   Alexander    Godley,    K.    C.  High    Commissioner,    became    Patron    of   the 

M.  G.,  general  officer  commanding  the  New  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

Zealand  Expeditionary  Forces,  expressed  of-  In  both  the  Cairo  and  the  Alexandria  pro- 
ficially  his  deep  appreciation.  On  June  13th  jects,  as  in  many  others,  financial  and  ad- 
General  Sir  John  G.  Maxwell,  Commander-  ministrative  cooperation  by  the  British  and 
in-Chief  of  the  forces  in  Egypt,  wrote  con-  Australian  Red  Cross  Societies  was  given  the 
cerning  "Y"  secretaries,  including  Americans,  Y.   M.   C.  A. 

Englishmen,     Australians,     New     Zealanders  When   the  historic  expedition   to   Gallipoli 

and  Indians:  took   up    its    abode   on    the    peninsula,   where 

"They  have  been  an  indispensable  and  valu-  shelter  was  unknown  and  Turkish  gunfire 
able  reinforcement  to  the  permanent  institu-  unending,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  despite  trans- 
tion,  and  have  devoted  themselves  to  camps  portation  difficulties  which  were  acute — under 
where  their  services  were  most  needed.  I  feel  constant  fire — got  service  to  the  men  and  es- 
sure  they  have  earned  the  gratitude  of  all  tablished  tent  and  dugout  centers  on  the  pen- 
ranks,  and  have  materially  contributed  to  their  insula  itself  and  on  the  neighboring  islands, 
welfare,  amusement,  and  happiness.  Their  The  smashing  of  a  sandbag  and  thatclied  hut 
task  has  been  made  more  difficult  by  the  con-  by  a  six-inch  shell  at  Anzac  and  the  demol- 
stant  and  sudden  moves  of  troops."  ishing  of  a  marquee  at  Hellas  were  the  only 


322 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


losses  suffered   by  the  Red  Triangle  on  the 
peninsula. 

Toward  the  end  of  191 5  the  problem  of 
hostel  accommodation  for  men  on  leave  be- 
came serious.  Through  the  efforts  of  Brig. 
General  Sir  Robert  Anderson  of  Australia 
the  Cairo  Bourse  Building  was  secured  and 
became  the  famous  Anzac  Y,  M.  C.  A.  Hos- 
tel. It  opened  with  500  beds  and  all  the  con- 
veniences of  a  well-equipped  club.  Later  a 
nearby  hotel  was  rented  and  a  large  tent 
erected  on  an  adjoining  lot  increasing  the 
sleeping  accommodations  to  1,000. 


work  during  the  entry  of  the  English  sol- 
diery into  Palestine.  This  was  towards  the 
end  of  191 7.  The  enormous  advance  and  the 
shifting  of  the  front  altered  the  positions  of 
units  in  the  lines  of  communication,  and  with 
these  changes  came  a  complete  alteration  of 
the  disposition  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  units, 
which  followed  the  troops. 

Two  months  before  the  Palestine  advance, 
which  ended  in  the  capture  of  Jaffa  and  Jeru- 
salem, the  Y.  M.  C.  A,  was  asked  by  Gen- 
eral Military  Headquarters  to  concentrate  all 
its  strength  in  the  forthcoming  drive  in  car- 


©     Underivood  and    0  tiaencciua. 


A  Camel  Caravan  on  the  Sahara  Desert 


The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had  four  centers  in  the 
Sudan,  at  Khartoum,  at  Atbara,  at  Port  Su- 
dan, and  at  Gcbeit.  There  were  also  centers 
in  the  oases  of  the  Western  Desert,  one  of 
them,  the  Kharga  Oasis,  being  120  miles 
from  the  Nile  and  130  miles  from  the  nearest 
town. 

Work  among  the  Indian  troops  started  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1917  and  continued  until 
the  end  of  the  campaign  and  the  return  of 
the  Sepoys  to  India.  The  International 
Committee  enlisted  native  "Y"  workers,  as 
well  as  Anglo-Saxon  "Y"  secretaries  for  this 
service. 

Perhaps  more  outstanding  than  any  other 
phase  of  its  contribution  to  the  welfare  of 
the    troops    in    Egypt    was    the    Association's 


ing  for  the  wounded  and  for  the  physically 
"down  and  out." 

When  the  first  wounded  troops  came  off 
the  field  into  the  clearing  stations,  thirty  "Y" 
men  with  sixty  detailed  soldiers  were  at  their 
respective  posts  ready  to  serve  them.  When 
these  same  wounded  men  passed  down  the 
long  lines  of  communication,  they  were  served 
again  by  the  "Y"  men.  This  drive  terminated 
with  General  Allenby's  triumphal  march  into 
Jerusalem.  Colonel  J.  J.  Abraham,  A.  D. 
M.  S.,  in  referring  to  this  Red  Triangle  serv- 
ice to  lesser  wounded  during  the  Palestine  ad- 
vance at  tlie  request  of  the  military  authorities, 
said : 

"It  was  a  difficult  thing  we  asked  your  or- 
ganization   to   do   and    they   came   out   of   it 

VII— 21 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


323 


with  every  possible  credit  to  themselves  and 
profit  to  us." 

In  igi8  in  the  front-h'ne  area  there  were 
twenty-one  Y.  M.  C.  A.  centers.  In  addi- 
tion there  were  15  buildings  occupied  by  the 
"Y"  in  the  larger  towns  and  cities.  In  Egypt 
there  were  31  large  centers;  in  the  Sudan, 
4,  and  at  Aden,  i.  The  high  degree  of  co- 
operation granted  by  the  military  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  the  day  following  the  cap- 


better  condition  of  civic  sanitation,  which  was 
imperatively  needed. 

The  Mayor  of  Jerusalem  ofiered  to  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  an  old  Roman  swimming  pool 
hewn  out  of  solid  rock,  located  near  the  St. 
Stevens  gate,  for  the  proposed  work  among 
the  civilian  men  of  the  Holy  City. 

The  Y,  M.  C.  A.  was  asked  by  municipal 
leaders  and  the  British  military  heads  in  Pal- 
estine to  take  an  active  part  in  the  elaborate 


Sudanese  Soldiers  in  Egypt 


©     Underzvood  and   Underuood. 


A  company  of  the  well-trained  native  soldiers   awaiting  the  attempt  of  the  Germans  to  invade 

Egypt. 


ture  of  Jerusalem,  upon  the  order  of  Gen- 
eral Sir  E.  H.  H.  Allenby,  a  building  for 
the  Red  Triangle  was  requisitioned.  This 
structure  had  been  a  hospice  for  pilgrims- 
The  work  of  the  Jerusalem  Y.  M,  C.  A. 
found  a  ready  appreciation  both  among  sol- 
dier and  civilian  populations.  The  "Y"  had 
been  taken  into  the  confidence  of  the  munici- 
pal government  of  Jerusalem  to  the  extent 
that  it  furnished  a  sanitary  outfit  to  insure  a 
thorough  cleansing  of  the  sewers  and  cess- 
pools of  the  city;  and  to  help  bring  about  a 


plans  for  preserving  the  old  city  and  building  a 
new  and  modern  one  about  it.  The  vtry  pro- 
saic problem  of  providing  means  for  the  dis- 
posal of  the  sewage  was  one  which  the  Associa- 
tion accepted  as  part  of  its  task  in  Jerusalem. 

In  the  preface  to  a  book  on  The  War  Work 
of  the  y.  ]\L  C.  A.  in  Egypt,  by  Colonel  Sir 
James  W.  Barrett,  a  distinguished  Australian 
surgeon  on  the  stafif  of  the  A.  E.  F.  General 
Sir  Edmund  H.  H.  Allenby  wrote  in  the 
autumn  of  1918: 

"No   one   has  more   reason    than    I    to   be 


324 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


grateful  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  for  its  work  in 
connection  with  the  Army. 

"Throughout  the  campaign,  its  workers  have 
followed  closely  the  fighting  line,  and  their 
labors  have  done  much  to  keep  up  the  moral, 
mental  and  physical  efficiency  of  my  troops. 


"Broad-minded  Christianity,  devotion  to 
work,  a  spirit  of  daring  enterprise,  and  sound 
business  guidance,  has  built  up  an  organiza- 
tion which  has  earned  the  gratitude  of  the 
Empire." 

Higher  praise  there  could  not  be. 


THROUGH    MESOPOTAMIA    WITH    THE    INDIAN 
EXPEDITIONARY  FORCE  TO  BAGDAD 

The  '^Y"  Brings  a  Truer  Comradeship 


WHEN  the  blight  of  Turkish  misrule 
was  being  removed  from  Mesopo- 
tamia, which  military  process  began  in  1915, 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  with 
the  cooperation  of  the  International  Commit- 
tee and  the  British  and  Indian  National  Coun- 
cils, was  an  active  participant  in  this  evolu- 
tion of  affairs  in  the  valley  of  the  Tigris 
River  and  on  the  Biblical  site  of  the  Garden 
of  Eden,  where  history  had  its  birth,  and  where 
a  new  era  was  about  to  be  born. 

The  Red  Triangle  worked  continually  with 
the  Indian  Expeditionary  Force  (as  this 
British-led  Army  was  known)  in  Mesopo- 
tamia, cheering  on  the  men  in  that  fever  and 
pest-ridden  land,  and  across  its  burning  sands 
during  the  disheartening  days  when  General 
Townshend  was  starved  into  capitulation  at 
Kut-el-Amara  in  191 6,  despite  the  heroic  ef- 
forts of  the  small  relief  army  to  hew  a  way 
through  the  besieging  swarms  of  German- 
officered  Turks;  through  the  long  and  often 
idle  days  of  reorganization  of  the  I.  E.  F. 
under  General  Lake ;  and  the  final  triumphant 
campaign  resulting  in  the  capture  of  historic 
Bagdad  under  the  leadership  of  General 
Maude,  who,  worn  out  during  the  almost 
superhuman  struggle,  died  in  Mesopotamia 
among  his  troops. 

Of  this  service  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Lord 
Chelmsford,  Viceroy  of  India,  said  in  191 8: 
"I  have  the  greatest  admiration  for  the  work 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  do- 
ing. It  is  work  which  we  must  maintain  at 
all  costs."  The  "Y"  followed  the  men  from 
India  as  they  went  to  France,  Mesopotamia, 


Egypt  and  East  Africa,  and  "carried  on  its 
splendid  work  without  distinction  of  church, 
caste  or  creed"  as  the  general  in  command  in 
Mesopotamia  described  it. 

The  years  1917,  1918  and  1919  saw  the 
largest  development  in  the  history  of  the  Y. 
M,  C.  A.  with  the  I.  E.  F.  in  Mesopotamia. 
In  October,  1917,  there  was  a  total  staff  of 
51  "Y"  secretaries  engaged  in  work  at  52 
centers.  In  twelve  months  this  leaped  to  lOO 
men  at  102  centers,  and  scores  of  orderlies, 
clerks  and  servants  were  detailed  to  the  Red 
Triangle  by  the  military  command. 

Expansion  was  chiefly  among  brigades  in 
the  front  area  beyond  Bagdad  before  the 
Turkish  armistice  in  October,   191 8. 

A  chief  reason  for  this  extension  in  the 
forward  area  was  the  invitation  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief to  take  over  the  supervision 
and  management  of  the  "Soldiers'  Clubs" 
which  were  established  at  his  suggestion. 
These  were  recreation  centers  that  had  been 
equipped  by  the  several  comfort  funds  in  In- 
dia. 

Early  in  191 5,  realizing  the  need  for  wel- 
fare work  among  the  troops  of  the  British 
and  Indian  Expeditionary  Force,  E.  C.  Carter 
(who  became  later  chief  secretary  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  with  the  American  Expedition- 
ary Forces  in  Europe)  and  K.  T.  Paul  (a 
Tamil  Indian),  general  secretaries  of  the  In- 
dian National  Council,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  dis- 
patched an  international  committee  secretary 
from  headquarters  at  Calcutta,  India,  to  in- 
vestigate and  report  on  conditions  among  the 
troops  of  the  I.  E.  F.  then  just  establishing 


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326 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


the  base  for  Mesopotamian  operations  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Tigris  River. 

So  startling  were  his  revelations,  that  "Y" 
men  and  equipment  were  immediately  assem- 
bled, with  military  permission  placed  on  troop 
ships,  and  dropped  off  on  the  muddy  banks  of 
the  Tigris  where  the  temperature  ranges 
from   105  to  135  degrees  in  the  shade. 

Of  the  Red  Triangle  service  during  the  war 
in  Mesopotamia,  His  Excellency  Lord  Will- 
ingdon.  Governor  of  the  great  Bombay  Presi- 
dency in  India,  said:  "Personally,  I  believe 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  has  done  much  and  perhaps 


in  the  offices,  the  men  of  the  porter  corps, 
and  the  lonely  men  in  the  depots.  It  provided 
lectures  and  classes  which  enabled  the  men 
to  take  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  people 
and  the  country  about  them. 

On  the  upper  Tigris  River  front  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  welfare  work  with  the  troops  in  this 
desert  land  grew  in  two  years  from  two  cen- 
ters having  four  secretaries,  to  thirty-five 
centers  where  huts  had  been  established  and 
fully  equipped,  and  twenty-five  other  points 
visited  regularly  by  a  staff  of  sixty-five  secre- 
taries. 


British  Entering  Bagdad 

The  British  swept  upon   Bagdad  in  grand  array.     Maude  had  his  airplanes   in   the  sky,  his  gun- 
boats on  the  river,  and  his  Tommies  on  the  road  to  the  coveted  city. 


more  than  any  other  institution,  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding,  warmer  sym- 
pathy and  truer  confidence  between  all  races 
that  come  to  this  country." 

At  the  outset,  in  191 5,  the  militar}^  re- 
quired the  work  to  be  confined  to  British 
ranks  only.  But  the  Indian  service,  after  the 
removal  of  the  restriction,  outstripped  the 
British  activities. 

The  "Y"  workers  were  able  to  bring  cheer 
to  hundreds  of  thousands;  to  the  sailors  on 
the  gunboats,  the  sick  and  wounded  in  the  hos- 
pitals, the  combatant  in  the  forward  area,  the 
non-combatant  on  the  lines  of  communica- 
tions, the  new  arrivals  from  home,  the  clerks 


Under  date  palm  trees,  en  the  scorching 
desert  itself  and  finally  in  historic  Bagdad  and 
beyond,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  huts  were  set  up — tents, 
sheds,  buildings  and  reed  shacks  served  the 
purpose.  A  uniform  weekly  program  was  ad- 
hered to  for  the  entertainment  and  recrea- 
tion of  the  soldiers,  "movie"  night  being  one 
of  the  most  popular  festive  occasions.  On 
Saturday  nights,  "Home  Mail  Night,"  a  sug- 
gestion that  the  folks  at  home  were  expecting 
a  letter,  supplemented  by  a  couple  of  sheets 
of  paper- — for  those  that  could  write — was 
all  that  was  usually  required  to  start  a  literary 
outburst.  Those  that  were  unable  to  write 
dictated   their  stories  to  sympathetic  secreta- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


327 


ries,  who,  during  spare  moments,  taught  hun- 
dreds of  Indians  to  read  and  write  in  their 
own  language. 

Canteens  were  open  morning,  afternoon 
and  evening.  Many  a  parched-lipped 
"Tommy"  stopped  at  one  of  these  desert  oases 
on  the  road  to  Bagdad  to  quench  his  feverish 
thirst. 

In  hospitals  and  on  hospital  boats  carrying 


Sikh,   Gurkha,   Mussulman  and  other  troops 
constituting  the  I.  E.,F. 

The  effect  on  India  of  Red  Triangle  war 
service  with  the  forces  in  Mesopotamia  was 
remarkable.  The  Indian  Association  was 
dedicated  to  war  service,  and  in  19 19  approxi- 
mately 300  secretaries,  over  half  of  whom 
were  Indian  university  graduates,  served  in 
soldiers'  huts  in  all  the  large  cities  and  can- 


©     Undervjood  and   Undenuoud. 


Help  from  the  Navy  in  Mesopotamia 

Surgeons  aboard  a  British  gunboat  on  the  Tigris  attending  to  the  wounded  soldier. 


their  cargoes  of  helpless  luimanity  down  the 
Tigris  to  the  base  at  Basrah,  Red  Triangle 
secretaries  ministered  to  the  needs  of  the 
wounded.  On  these  river  paddle  boats,  which 
usually  carried  from  three  to  four  hundred 
cases,  sweets,  tobacco  and  little  comforts  for 
the  men  were  distributed — a  word  of  cheer 
and  a  helping  hand  given  to  the  crippled 
fighter. 

After  the  signing  of  the  armistice  in  Octo- 
ber, 1918,  which  virtually  reduced  Turkey 
to  unconditional  surrender,  the  "Y"  workers 
in   Mesopotamia  continued  with   the   British, 


tonments  of  the  country.  The  Indian  Gov- 
ernment contributed  money  for  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
student  dormitories  at  Government  Universi- 
ties, and  in  addition  paid  the  salaries  of  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  physical  directors,  supervising  physi- 
cal education  and  athletics.  In  South  India, 
a  group  of  picked  graduates  of  the  Indian 
Universities  set  themselves  to  driving  debt, 
drunkenness,  disease,  and  dirt  from  the  In- 
dian villages,  elevating  them  to  a  higher  phys- 
ical, social,  sanitary,  educational  and  moral 
plane,  through  the  Cooperative  Credit  So- 
cieties which  organized  in  the  villages. 


THE  KNIGHTS  OF  COLUMBUS 

What  They  Did  for  Our  Soldiers  at  Home  and  Abroad 


WHEN  Lieutenant-Colonel  Whittlesey 
led  his  immortal  "lost  battalion"  back 
from  its  desperate  struggle  in  the  Argonne, 
neither  he  nor  any  of  his  men  knew  they  had 
been  "lost."  But  some  things  they  knew — 
and  knew  well !  They  knew  that  they  had 
used  up  their  emergency  rations;  that  there 
had  not  been  a  cigarette,  or  the  "makings," 
in  the  outfit  for  uncounted  hours ;  they  knew 
what  something  hot  would  taste  like. 

One  of  the  doughboys,  plodding  along,  sud- 
denly yelled:  "Oh,  you  Casey!"  Two  min- 
utes later  a  queer  contrivance  on  wheels  was 
being  mobbed.  Clouds  of  smoke  arose  from 
it,  and  sounds  of  weary  men  gulping  down 
hot  coffee  and  cocoa  filled  the  air.  A  grin- 
ning Samaritan  in  the  uniform  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  was  handing  out  hot  drinks  and 
food  and  cigarettes  as  fast  as  he  could.  The 
K.  of  C.  badge  was  on  his  arm.  The  men 
of  the  Lost  Battalion  hailed  him  as  "Casey." 
They  were  called  "Casey"  throughout  our 
army,  these  secretaries  of  the  Knights  of  Co- 
lumbus, and  they  wore  the  nickname  as  a 
badge  of  honor;  as  proof  that  they  had  won 
their  spurs.  During  the  great  battle  of  the 
Argonne  300  K.  of  C.  secretaries  served  our 
fighting   men. 

There  were  a  number  of  organizations 
apparently  doing  the  same  sort  of  work  among 
our  troops  overseas,  but  the  overlapping  of 
efforts  was  less  real  than  it  seems.  Some  did 
one  thing;  some  another.  And  when  they 
did  the  same  things,  they  did  them  in  different 
ways.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  and  is  the 
biggest  of  the  lot.  It  took  over  the  work 
of  the  army  canteens,  to  some  extent,  and  had 
to  sell  a  good  many  things.  The  Knights  of 
Columbus  sold  nothing;  they  did  not  take  a 
cent  from  a  soldier  even  as  a  free  gift  and 
offering  of  good  will.  They  gave  away 
everything  they  sent  to  France;  they  refused 
money  from  soldiers,  no  matter  how  it  was 
offered,   or  why.     They   are   the   only   relief 


workers  who  have  that  particular  record,  and 
they  are  mighty  proud  of  it. 

CHAPLAINS    AS    WELL    AS    LAY    WORKERS 

Another  reason  for  various  organizations 
among  the  troops  had  to  do  with  religion. 
The  Knights  of  Columbus  is  a  purely  Cath- 
olic organization — it  is  a  great  fraternal  in- 
surance association,  with  social  and  religious 
features.  It  was  interested  in  the  large  num- 
ber of  Catholics  in  the  army,  it  being  esti- 
mated than  35  per  cent,  of  all  the  men 
America  had  under  arms  were  of  that  faith. 
I  wanted  to  establish  places  with  the  army 
overseas  where  Catholic  soldiers  would  feel 
specially  and  definitely  at  home.  The  Cath- 
olic Church  imposes  particular  obligations 
upon  its  members ;  the  PCnights  of  Columbus 
knew  that  to  supplement  the  necessarily  in- 
adequate facilities  provided  by  the  army  for 
the  meeting  of  those  obligations  would  be  an 
invaluable  contribution  to  the  maintenance  of 
morale.  So  the  Knights  sent  over  chaplains 
as  well  as  lay  workers — priests  who  were 
ready,  at  all  times  and  at  all  places,  to  give 
Catholic  soldiers  religious  aid  and  comfort. 
There  were  many  Catholics  in  regiments  that 
had  Protestant  chaplains.  But  there  were, 
before  the  armistice  came,  very  few  places 
along  the  American  front  where  a  Catholic 
soldier  could  not  find  a  K.  of  C.  chaplain 
when  he  wanted  one.  The  K.  of  C.  never 
forced  religion  down  any  man's  throat.  There 
was  Mass  on  Sunday  in  ever\^  K.  of  C.  hut, 
and  on  the  Holy  Days  of  the  Church,  but 
attendance  w"is  optional.  A  nian  who  came 
in  looking  for  cigarettes  or  stationery  or 
chocolate  got  what  he  wanted.  And  men 
who  were  not  Catholics  were  just  as  welcome 
as  men  who  were.  "Casey"  asked  no  ques- 
tions about  religion ;  the  uniform  was  all  that 
counted. 

Further,  "Casey"  managed  to  eliminate  red 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


329 


Members  of  the  "Lost  Battalion 


n 


Getting  their   first   meal   at  the   K.   of   C.   kitchen.     Some  of  these  men  under  the  command  of 
Major    Whittlesey,    later    Lieutenant-Colonel,    refused    to    comply    with    the    German    request    to 
surrender  and  fought  their  way  out  of  a  pocket  after  six  perilous  days. 


tape  entirely.  Since  nothing  was  sold,  there 
was  never  a  chance  for  a  timid  secretary  to 
make  the  mistake  of  refusing  supplies  to  a 
hungry  outfit  that  had  missed  connections 
with  its  pay  roll.  Man  after  man  would  go 
to  the  K.  of  C.  huts,  get  cigarettes  or  what- 
ever he  wanted,  and  then  ask:  "How  much?" 
"Son — this  stuff  doesn't  belong  to  Casey!" 
the  secretary  would  answer.  "It  was  just 
handed  to  us  by  your  folks  back  home  to 
pass  on  to  you.  Your  money's  no  good  with 
Casey — get  that!" 

SUPPLIES 

K.  of  C.  supplies  went  astray  and  were 
held  up  often  enough.  When  there  was  heavy 
fighting  the  roads  back  of  the  front  were 
pretty  thoroughly  congested.  Ammunition 
trucks,  ambulances,  army-supplies,  lorries  had 
the  right  of  w^ay.  But  K.  of  C.  secretaries 
were  not  supposed  to  try  to  explain  to  a  lot 
of  soldiers,  famishing  for  a  smoke,  that  they 
had  not  been  able  to  get  the  cigarettes  up; 
their  instructions  were  to  have  cigarettes  to 
hand   out.     And   so   a   secretary,   finding   his 


own  stuff  lost,  went  out  and  foraged  until  he 
found  what  he  needed.  When  he  did  he 
bought  it,  without  waiting  to  wire  Paris 
for  authority. 

This  practice  of  authorizing  each  secretary 
to  purchase  supplies  on  his  own  initiative  did 
away  with  red-tape  and  delay. 

Those  roller  kitchens  were  a  K.  of  C.  inven- 
tion. And  there  was  a  special  hospital  ser- 
vice ;  stenographers  went  round  to  take  dic- 
tation from  men  too  ill  to  write,  typed  the 
letter,    and    brought    it    back    for    signature. 

In  February,  1919,  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus shipped  473  tons  of  supplies  overseas. 
They  had  a  thousand  men  on  the  other  side 
— 103  along  the  Rhine,  with  the  Army  of 
Occupation.  Those  supplies  included  the  most 
various  things — cigarettes,  tobacco,  pipes, 
chocolate,  candy,  cards,  chess  and  checker 
outfits,  football  and  baseball  equipment,  soap, 
matches,  stationery,  medicine  balls,  biscuits. 
Before  the  fighting  ended  nearly  $4,000,000 
worth  of  creature  comforts  had  been  shipped 
by  the  Knights  from  New  York  for  distri- 
bution among  the  men. 


330 


THE  ARMIES  OF  AIERCY 


Ten  days  after  the  United  States  declared 
war  on  Germany,  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Government  the 
complete  resources  of  this  Catholic  organiza- 
tion of  more  than  400,000  men. 

In  April,  191 7,  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
were  winding  up  their  relief-work  fur  our 
soldiers  on  the  Mexican  border.  Twenty  K. 
of  C.  huts  there  did  such  good  work  that  it 
was  easy  to  get  permission  to  tackle  the  bigger 
job  in  France  when  the  time  came. 

The  first  expenses  were  met  by  an  assess- 
ment on  the  membership  of  the  order — two 
dollars  a  man  brought  in  a  million  dollars. 
The  next  appeal  was  to  Catholic  churches ; 
that  brought  in  three  million  more.  With 
that  the  work  got  well  under  way,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  letters  began  coming 
home,  all  over  the  country,  boosting 
"Casey." 

With  full  approbation  from  the  War  De- 
partment's   Commission    on    Training    Camp 


Activities,  the  K.  of  C.  launched  its  new 
programme.  The  initial  act  of  relief  for  men 
participating  in  the  war  was  taken  when  the 
Board  of  Directors  voted  that  members  of 
the  organization  holding  insurance  in  it  on 
or  before  April  15,  191 7,  would  not  lose  that 
by  enlistment  in  the  United  States  Army  or 
Navy.  As  a  manner  of  indicating  their  cor- 
dial agreement  with  this  action  of  the  Board 
of  Directors,  K.  of  C.  Councils  everywhere 
made  provisions  for  the  payment  of  the  gen- 
eral dues  and  insurance  assessments  of  mem- 
bers enlisting  in  the  nation's  service.  When 
it  is  conserv^atively  estimated  that  about 
40,000  members  of  the  order  engaged  in 
active  service  during  the  war,  the  substantial 
aid  rendered  the  morale  of  our  fighting 
forces  by  the  continuance  of  insurance  for 
these  men  is  readily  conceived.  Despite  the 
double  hazards  of  war  and  of  the  great  in- 
fluenza epidemic,  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
insurance  system,  after  paying  out  millions  in 


((J     Underwood  and  Underwood. 

K.  of  C.  at  Lafayette's  Monument  in  Paris 

A  group  of  Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries  paying   tribute   to   the    memory   of   America's   loyal 

friend. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


331 


death    benefits,    emerged    from    the    war    as 
strong  as  ever. 

Practically  every  cent  the  Knights  got  went 
into  actual  work  for  the  soldiers.  One  reason 
this  was  possible  was  that  the  regular  admin- 
istrative force  of  the  order  took  over  the 
extra  burden  of  the  war  work.  With  more 
than  1,700  Councils  in  America  there  was  a 
machine  ready  to  function  from  the  outset ; 
there  was  no  need  to  spend  money  for  office 
rent  and  clerical  help.  The  big  men  who 
handled  the  war  work  were  all  executives 
of  the  order,  and,  because  they  loved  the 
work  they  did,  they  succeeded,  whether  the 
job  on  hand  was  fighting  for  space  on  an 
outgoing  ship,  or  getting  supplies  to  the  front 
h'nes  when  there  was  no  visible  way  of  so 
doing.  When  there  was  a  definite  thing  to 
be  done,   there  was  always  a  way  to  do   it. 

RAISING   FUNDS 

Having  a  monthly  periodical.  The  Colum- 
hiad — the  official  journal  of  the  K.  of  C. — at 
their  right  hand,  the  Knights  were  able  to 
carry  their  message  of  the  moment  directly 
to  the  more  than  400,000  members  of  the 
organization.  The  members  of  the  order 
gave  $1,000,000  before  the  campaign  for 
funds  was  extended  to  the  Catholic  public 
and  the  general  public.  At  the  national  con- 
vention in  Chicago  in  August,  191 7,  the  im- 
mediate success  of  the  order's  work  was 
manifested  in  urgent  recommendations  from 
all  over  the  country,  and  especially  from 
leading  members  of  the  hierarchy,  that  a 
great  campaign  be  waged  for  the  war  fund. 
By  vote  of  the  convention  it  was  decided  to 
ask  for  $3,000,000. 

This  campaign  did  not  take  the  form  of 
one  of  the  great  nation-wide  drives  to  which 
we  had  grown  accustomed.  It  was  regu- 
lated and  conducted  by  the  several  State 
organizations,  the  State  Deputy  Supreme 
Knight  having  directive  control.  The  Cath- 
olic Church,  exceptionally  well  organized  for 
such  a  campaign,  threw  its  full  strength  be- 
hind it,  and  the  three-million  goal  was  speed- 
ily realized. 

Men  of  all  religious  denominations — and 
of  none — rallied  to  support  the  Knights  in 
their  appeal  for  funds.  State  quotas  were 
substantially   exceeded.      The   success   of   the 


war  fund  is  cogently  recorded  in  the  fact 
that  within  one  year  of  the  first  appeal  more 
than  $12,000,000  had  been  given  in  trust  to 
the  Knights  of  Columbus  by  the  American 
people  for  the  war  work  that  had  earned  for 
the  K.  of  C.  a  place  beside  the  Red  Cross 
and  the  other  great  war  relief  organizations. 
Commandants  of  camps  everywhere  testi- 
fied to  the  splendid  record  made  by  the 
Knights  with  the  men  of  their  commands. 
1  he  absolute  avoidance  of  discrimination, 
coupled  with  the  limitation  of  the  religious 
feature  of  the  service  to  Catholic  boys,  whose 
obligations  to  their  faith  had  been  the  occa- 
sion warranting  the  Knights'  entry  into  war 
work,  won  plaudits  for  the  Knights  from  all 
over  the  land.  They  offered  clean,  manly 
entertainment  to  the  soldiers,  and  their  sec- 
retaries were  sent  into  the  field  with  the  in- 
junction to  serve  the  men  with  the  colors  as 
they  would  serve  their  own  sons  and  brothers. 
1  hey  lived  faithfully  up  to  the  spirit  and 
letter  of  this  order. 

OVERSEAS  WORK 

Solidly  established  in  the  home  camps,  the 
Knights  turned  their  attention  to  work  over- 
seas, the  growth  of  their  fund  warranting 
immediate  action  there.  Certain  obstacles 
were  in  their  path.  They  were  not  well 
known  to  governments  associated  with  ours  in 
the  war  against  Germany,  although  there  was 
in  France  a  considerable  body  of  K.  of  C. 
pioneers  already  serving  the  boys  there.  This 
body  consisted  principally  of  chaplains,  and 
the  Knights  sent  them  across  the  water  first 
because  their  ministrations  were  most  vitally 
needed.  Their  value  to  the  morale  of  all 
the  men  was  speedily  acknowledged  by  the 
French  Government,  which  conferred  the 
Croix  de  Guerre  upon  two  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus  chaplains — the  Rev.  John  B.  de 
Valles  and  the  Rev.  Osias  Boucher,  both  of 
Massachusetts — within  a  month  of  their  first 
appearance  in  the  front  line.  K.  of  C.  chap- 
lains were  later  cited  in  dispatches,  one  of 
them  for  the  remarkable  performance  of  serv- 
ing a  machine  gun  all  night  when  the  crew 
had  been  shot  down. 

General  Pershing  extended  a  cordial  wel- 
come to  the  Knights  of  Columbus.  He  issued 
General  Order  No.  64,  placing  the  Knights 


332 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


on  a  le\'el  with  the  Red  Cross  and  all  other 
war  relief  organizations. 

More  men  went  overseas  wearing  the 
K.  of  C.  uniform — the  best  men  the  organi- 
zation could  afford.  By  the  first  week  in 
August  the  work  had  grown  to  a  stature  in 
every  way  worthy  of  the  organization  foster- 
ing it.  Overseas  headquarters  had  been  es- 
tablished in  New  York  City,  the  headquarters 
of  the  home  work  being  continued  at  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  where  the  K.  of  C.  general 
administrative  staff  was  in  charge,  effecting  a 
great  economy  in  administration  expense.  The 
secretaries  were  under  the  direct  supervision 
of  the  Knights,  the  chaplains  receiving  direc- 
tion from  Bishop  (now  Archbishop)  Patrick 
J.  Hayes,  Bishop  in  Ordinary  of  all  Catholic 
Chaplains  with  the  American  naval  and  mili- 
tary forces.  From  the  headquarters  in  New 
York  City  the  immense  supplies  of  creature 
comforts  furnished  free  to  the  men  in  the 
service  were  shipped. 

Insistent  calls  came  from  overseas  for  more 
workers.  Delay  in  appointing  these  and  ship- 
ping them  abroad  was  unavoidable,  as  the 
Military  Intelligence  Service  required  a  full 
investigation  of  every  war  relief  worker,  no 
matter  what  the  organization  with  which  he 
or  she  enlisted.  But  company  after  company 
of  secretaries  and  chaplains  went  overseas. 
The  Knights,  during  actual  hostilities,  worked 
according  to  an  iron-clad  rule  which  inhibited 


men  of  military  age  from  entering  their 
service.  This  policy  was  most  popular  with 
the  fighting  men. 

Several  Knights  of  Columbus  secretaries 
and  chaplains  were  cited  for  bravery  under 
fire;  many  were  injured  seriously,  and  five 
died  from  disease  contracted  in  the  line  of 
duty. 

SECOND   year's   WORK 

The  growth  of  the  work  required  a  budget 
of  more  than  $50,000,000  for  its  second  year. 
This  was  reduced  to  $30,000,000  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  War  Department,  when  it  was 
intimated  that  the  policy  of  free  comforts 
would  be  abandoned  by  oflRcial  request  from 
overseas.  The  Knights  insisted,  however, 
that  this  policy  was  popular  with  the  men  and 
that,  as  their  appeal  to  the  public  was  based 
upon  its  results,  it  had  been  elevated  to  the 
position  of  first  principle  of  their  war  work. 
As  agents  of  the  National  Catholic  War 
Council,  into  whose  hands  the  Government 
had  placed  the  recognition  of  American  Cath- 
olic war  relief  endeavor,  the  Knights  con- 
tributed $25,000,000  to  the  total  of  $200,- 
000,000  raised  by  the  United  War  Work 
Drive,  which  took  place  in  November,  191 8. 
The  K.  of  C.  substantially  aided  the  success 
of  the  drive. 

The  Knights  continued  their  policy  of  giv- 
ing free  comforts  to  the  men   in  the  service 


A  Knights  of  Columbus  Band  in  Paris 

Music  was  provided  for  the  troops  on  many  occasions    and    was    especially    welcome    to    members 

visiting   Paris   on   leave. 


334 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


and  at  the  same  time  extended  all  other 
branches  of  their  work,  so  that  in  March, 
1919,  they  had  more  than  250  centers  in 
France,  England,  Scotland,  Belgium,  Ger- 
many and  Italy,  the  majority  of  these  places 
being  known  as  clubs.  There  were  K.  of  C. 
huts  in  Panama,  Haiti,  and  Porto  Rico,  and 
a  club  was  contemplated  at  Rotterdam,  Hol- 
land. The  K.  of  C.  workers  were  the  first 
to  cross  the  Rhine  and  serve  the  Army  of 
Occupation.  More  than  100  K.  of  C.  secre- 
taries ministered  to  our  men  in  the  most 
advanced  areas  of  the  Army  of  Occupation, 
and  a  constant  service  of  motor-truck  trans- 
portation of  creature  comforts,  literature,  etc., 
was  maintained  between  the  Paris  headquar- 
ters and  all  sections  of  France  and  the  Rhine- 
land. 

All  told,  the  K.  of  C.  personnel  abroad 
numbered  approximately  1,000  chaplains  and 
secretaries,  while  at  home  650  secretaries 
served  the  troops.  A  comprehensive  trans- 
port service  was  established,  secretaries  riding 
on  all  the  transports  and  operating  an  amuse- 
ment service — consisting  chiefly  of  moving 
pictures — and  distributing  comforts  to  the 
men. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus  in  their  war 
work  underwent  the  remarkable  experience  of 
having  to  spend  thirty  million  dollars  a  year. 
They  succeeded  in  spending  this  large  sum  of 
money  wisely — with  what  might  be  termed 
extreme  care ;  with  maximum  results  for  men 
in  the  service.  Because  from  the  first  moment 
they  realized  into  what  an  immense  under- 
taking they  had  thrust  themselves,  the  Knights 
adopted  a  rigid  system  of  administration  and 
operation,  and  adhered  strictly  to  it  in  all  the 
subsequent  enlargements  of  their  war  work. 

In  brief,  this  system  was  an  expansion  of 
the  K.  of  C.  working  system  by  which  the 
intricate  affairs  of  a  financial  organization  of 
over  four  hundred  thousand  men  had  been 
conducted. 


"keep  coming" 


Over  in  France  the  Knights  acquired  a  new 
motto.  It  was  in  the  Argonne.  "Uncle"  Joe 
Kernan  was  talking  to  a  young  artilleryman, 
who  had  come  along  looking  for  something  to 
eat.  When  the  soldier  had  fmished  he  started 
back.  He  turned,  when  he  had  gone  about 
twenty  yards,  and  waved  and  called:  "Keep 


coming,  Casey!  Keep  coming!  Keep  coming!" 
"You  bet!"  yelled  Kernan — and  saw  a 
sliell  fragment  kill  the  boy  as  h^  turned  away. 
But  that  soldier's  last  words  have  been  a 
good  motto  for  the  Knights  of  Columbus  ever 
since.     Casey  meant  to  "keep  coming." 

WAR   ACTIVITIES    COMMITTEE 

The  K.  of  C,  as  a  corporate  body,  is 
both  extensively  and  intensively  organized. 
Through  its  extensive  council  organization 
and  through  the  medium  of  a  publication  of 
national  circulation,  the  Knights  of  Colum- 
bus were  able  to  quickly  prosecute  their  first 
independent  campaign  for  funds,  which  was 
successful  far  beyond  their  hopes.  During  the 
process  of  collecting  the  money  they  launched 
their  work  by  forming  a  Committee  on  War 
Activities  under  the  supervision  of  the  Board 
of  Directors,  the  committee  being  made  up 
of  members  of  this  board.  This  committee 
had  plenary  power  to  proceed  with  the  war 
work  of  the  organization,  this  being  its  espe- 
cial function,  but  it  was  always  subordinate 
to  the  ruling  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

The  chairman  of  this  Committee  on  War 
Activities  was  chief  officer  and  director  of  all 
K.  of  C.  war  work.  From  this  committee 
were  selected  a  treasurer  and  two  men  to  serve 
as  directors  in  America,  one  for  work  in 
home  camps  and  camp  communities,  the  other 
for  all  overseas  work.  The  home  director, 
being  supreme  secretary  of  the  Knights  of 
Columbus,  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  geo- 
graphical organization  in  the  United  States, 
and  therefore  admirably  suited  for  the  task 
of  exercising  complete  supervision  of  the 
K.  of  C.  work  in  this  country-.  The  over- 
seas director  was  the  sales  manager  for  one 
of  the  largest  national  weekly  publications 
and  publishing  houses,  expert  in  the  duplex 
problem  of  handling  large  shipments  for  ex- 
port and  of  enlisting  an  army  of  secretaries 
for  overseas  work.  The  chairman  had  gen- 
eral supervision  of  the  work  of  these  directors 
and  was  ambassador  extraordinary  and  minis- 
ter plenipotentiary  in  all  dealings  with  the 
War  and  Navy  Departments  and  sister  relief 
organizations. 

The  home  department  of  the  K.  of  C.  war 
work  was  operated  according  to  the  military 
departmental  system,   each   department,  such 


cr 
n 

!*> 

■-t 
n 

CO 


■M/ 


336 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


as  that  of  the  Northeast,  having  its  director. 
He  received  his  appointment  and  authority 
from  the  director  of  home  activities  in  New- 
Haven,  Conn.,  headquarters  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus. 

Under  the  departmental  director  were  sec- 
tional supervisors.  Each  supervisor  had  in 
his  immediate  personal  care  several  camps. 
Each  camp  had  a  general  secretary,  with  full 
authority  over  the  secretaries  employed  in  all 
buildings  in  the  camp,  and  each  building 
had  a  head  secretary  who  acted  as  a  sort  of 
foreman  over  the  staff  attached  to  his  build- 


ings. 


The  home  director  answered  for  all  domes- 
tic war  w'ork  to  his  colleagues  on  the  Com- 
mittee on  War  Activities,  who  in  turn  re- 
ported to  the  Board  of  Directors.  The  home 
director  was  purser  for  all  funds  expended 
for  construction,  equipment  and  maintenance 
of    buildings    in    domestic    camps    and    naval 


training  stations,  salaries  of  secretaries  and 
domestic  supplies. 

To  the  home  director  of  overseas  work, 
whose  headquarters  were  in  New  York,  fell 
the  task  of  overcoming  the  difficulties  of  buy- 
ing and  shipping  abroad  huge  quantities  of 
comfort  commodities,  of  directing  the  means 
of  motor  transportation  of  these  commodities 
once  they  arrived  abroad  and  the  staffs  of 
secretaries  who  handled  the  distribution 
among  the  soldiers  and  sailors  overseas. 

In  the  New  York  overseas  office  of  the 
K.  of  C.  there  were  a  purchasing  department, 
a  shipping  department  and  a  personnel  de- 
i  .rtment.  The  personnel  department  re- 
ceived all  applications  for  overseas  service, 
checked  up  on  the  applicants,  reported  to  the 
Military  Intelligence  Bureau,  secured  pass- 
ports and  supervised  the  clothing,  equipment 
and  transport  of  secretaries,  after  first  se- 
curing  passports.      The   shipping   department 


P)      Undeiuood  and    U iidcrzvooil. 


A  Good  Samaritan  to  the  Suffering 

A  badly  wounded   soldier   of   the   77th   being  carried  to  the  ambulance  after  having  received  nour- 
ishment   at    the    K.    of    C.    kitchen. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


337 


attended  to  the  harassing  problem  of  securing 
cargo  space  (and  while  the  war  was  in  actual 
progress  this  was  a  day-and-night  worry-to- 
the-death  proposition)  ;  manifests  were  held 
ready  for  immediate  reference  in  tracing  ship- 
ments, and  a  constant  and  accurate  knowledge 
kept  of  all  available  steamers. 

The  purchasing  department  purchased  all 
overseas  supplies.  By  keeping  a  careful  eye 
on  the  markets  and  by  ordering  in  huge  quan- 
tities, this  department  made  the  public's  mil- 
lions it  spent  go  farther  than  any  millions 
given   for  a  similar  cause  ever  went  before. 

The  matter  of  attending  to  a  single  secre- 
tary required  great  industry  and  a  fervent 
regard  for  detail.  He  had  to  have  two  uni- 
forms, a  trunk  containing  a  few  personal 
items  and  supplies  for  the  men,  and  he  re- 
ceived instruction  in  his  duties  during  the 
time  he  awaited  passports  and  passage  in  New 
York.  Sixty-five  separate  items  entered  into 
the  secretarv's  trunk  before  he  embarked. 


Overseas  the  Knights  of  Columbus  war 
work  was  divided  into  zones.  Headquarters 
were  at  Paris,  where  two  overseas  commis- 
sioners, one  skilled  in  handling  men,  the  other 
in  handling  finances,  had  full  charge. 

France,  Germany,  England,  Belgium  and 
Italy  were  divided  into  zones.  Over  each 
zone  there  was  a  traveling  supervisor,  re- 
sponsible for  the  efficiency  of  the  secretaries 
employed  at  the  camps  in  the  zone.  A  pur- 
chasing department  existed  in  Paris  to  supple- 
ment the  main  purchasing  department  in  New 
York  by  buying  creature  comforts  and  other 
supplies  for  the  soldiers  when  and  where  these 
could  be  secured  in  Europe  cheaper  than  they 
could  be  landed  from  America  on  the  docks 
at  the  French  seaboard. 

There  was  also  a  personnel  bureau  in  Paris, 
for,  on  arrival  in  France,  war  workers  had 
to  submit  to  another  O.  K.  by  the  military 
authorities,  also  to  endorsement  by  the  French 
civil  authorities. 


(g)     Ihtdei-vood  and   Underwood. 


With  the  K.  of  C.  "Over  There" 

A  K.  of  C.  car  with  supplies  at  the  entrance  to  the  collefie  at  Verdun.     This  organization  did  fine 

work    at   the    front    and    in    Germany. 


338 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     Underwood  and   U iidci'zvi><>d 


The  K.  of  C,  in  the  Argonne 


Wherever   the  Yank   cannon    roared    and   wherever  there  was  action  could  be   found  the   Knights 
of  Columbus,   their  secretaries  busily   engaged  in  helping  and  comforting  our  boys. 


THE    K.    OF    C.     FINDS    JOBS    SCIENTIFICALLY 

This  was  done  by  hard  work,  careful  study, 
and  the  whipping  into  shape  of  a  nation-wide 
organization  with  all  the  necessary  machinery 
for  intensive  and  extensive  search  for  employ- 
ment and  registration  and  analysis  of  applicants. 

As  soon  as  the  armistice  was  signed,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus  opened  up  their  job- 
finding  activities;  for  thousands  of  young 
men,  lined  up  for  the  new  drafts,  had  quit 
their  jobs  for  camp,  only  to  be  turned  back 
into  civilian  life.  The  Knigh'is  helped  them 
back  to  their  jobs  wherever  '  .^Ip  was  sought. 

When  it  was  definitely  known  that  the 
homeward  movement  of  the  A.  E.  F.  would 
start  promptly  and  be  continued  vigorously, 
the  more  urgent  became  the  necessity  of  find- 
ing employment  for  these  fighting  men  who 
had  been  removed  for  many  months  from  the 
American  labor  market.  Cooperating  closely 
with  the  United  States  Employment  Service, 
the  Knights  devised  a  plan  for  aiding  in  the 
search  and  allocation  of  jobs  for  returned 
soldiers     and     sailors — first     attention     being 


given  to  overseas  veterans  because  they  had 
been  least  able  to  help  themselves  in  the 
matter  of  employment. 

The  Knights'  initial  system  was,  briefly, 
this :  They  issued  cards  marked  with  spaces 
to  contain  all  information  in  tabloid  form 
regarding  the  soldier  or  sailor  applicant  for 
the  job.  He  was  asked  what  kind  of  work 
he  wanted  and  where  he  wanted  it,  and  the 
K.  of  C.  worker  assisting  the  man  to  fill 
out  the  card  was  given  the  white  back  of 
the  card  for  whatever  comment  he  might 
have  to  make  regarding  the  applicant,  for 
the  information  of  prospective  employers. 

The  Knights  distributed  these  cards  in  par- 
cels to  their  various  camp  buildings  and  to 
their  overseas  secretaries,  who,  in  turn,  dis- 
tributed them  to  the  soldiers  who  required 
employment  on  their  return  to  civil  life.  The 
cards  were  filled  in  and  returned  to  the 
New  Haven  K.  of  C.  national  and  inter- 
national headquarters.  Within  four  months 
after  this  service  was  begun,  jobs  for  25,000 
men  had  been  found,  two  thirds  of  them  with- 
in two  weeks  after  application. 

VII— 22 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


339 


The  war  work  of  the  K.  of  C.  was  handled 
by  an  unusually  small  staff,  all  things  con- 
sidered, and  at  an  overhead  expense  of  less 
than  two  per  cent  of  the  money  contributed. 
The  policy  of  "everything  free"  more  than 
justified  itself,  but  it  would  have  been  im- 
possible without  economical  administration. 
There  were  about  2,000  secretaries  in  all ; 
they  operated  in  600  centers  in  this  country, 
did  work  on  60  transports  and  400  warships, 


and  a  thousand  of  them  saw  service  overseas. 
With  the  formation  of  club-schools  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  country,  where  wounded 
men  can  teach  themselves  useful  and  remu- 
nerative occupation,  the  Knights  of  Columbus 
added  another  feature  to  their  effective  post- 
armistice  work — while  all  the  time  maintain- 
ing at  its  highest  pitch  their  recreational 
activity  for  the  men  overseas,  on  the  sea,  in 
hospitals  and  camps  in  Europe  and  at  home. 


AMERICA'S  OVER-THERE  THEATER  LEAGUE 

How  It  Proved  that  "All  the  World's  a  Stage" 


EARLY  in  the  year  19 18,  at  the  request 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Winthrop  Ames 
and  E.  H.  Sothern  sailed  for  France,  to  visit 
the  front  and  the  various  camps  in  the 
S.  O.  S.,  to  look  over  the  problem  of  pro- 
viding entertainment  for  the  A.  E.  F.  They 
wished,  if  possible,  to  get  a  direct  line  upon 
the  kind  of  professional  entertainment  it 
would  be  practical  to  send  overseas  under  the 
conditions  existing  at  that  time. 

They  returned  to  the  United  States  in 
March,  and  it  was  decided  to  hold  a  mass 
meeting  and  to  ask  for  volunteers.  The  meet- 
ing was  held  at  the  Palace  Theater,  New  York 
City,  and  America's  Over-There  Theater 
League  was  born.  Mrs.  August  Belmont, 
Guy  Empey,  Mr.  Ames  and  Mr.  Sothern  told 
of  the  work  which  had  been  done  by  the 
Y.M.C.A.  and  of  the  great  need  of  more,  and 
especially  more  professional  entertainment, 
both  at  the  front  and  in  the  camps.  All  these 
speakers  had  been  to  France,  and  had  seen  the 
real  need  of  entertainment  among  the  soldiers, 
and  how  grateful  the  boys  were  for  anything 
done  in  their  behalf.  The  chairman  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  entertainment  bureau  explained 
that  the  entertainers  who  went  over  as  mem- 
bers of  the  League  would  have  their  uniforms 
supplied,  their  passage  over  and  back,  and  their 
living  expenses  while  in  France  paid  by  the 
Y,  M.  C.  A.,  so  that  it  would  be  possible  for 
those  to  go  who  could  not  pay  their  own  way. 
In  addition  to  this  they  were  to  receive  two 
dollars  a  day,  for  incidentals,  from  the 
League. 


George  Cohan,  E.  E.  Albee  and  Francis 
Wilson  made  short  speeches  asking  for  volun- 
teers, and  almost  before  they  had  asked  the 
entire  audience  rose  and  volunteered.  Mr. 
Ames  then  said  that  he  had  given  the  lobby 
and  tea  room  of  his  Little  Theatre  as  offices 
for  the  League  and  that  all  volunteers  should 
report  there.  The  officers  of  the  League 
were  chosen  and  the  meeting  broke  up.  Mr. 
Cohan  was  made  president,  and  Mr.  Albee, 
vice-president. 

The  directors  were  Mr.  Ames,  Rachel 
Crothers,  Walter  Damrosch,  Charles  Dilling- 
ham, John  Drew,  Daniel  Frohman,  Joseph  R. 
Grismer,  Marc  Klaw,  Willard  Mack,  E.  H. 
Sothern,  Augustus  Thomas,  and  Francis  Wil- 
son. 

The  next  day,  and  for  many  days  there- 
after, volunteers  poured  into  the  Little  Thea- 
ter. Early  in  December,  Mr.  Forbes  went  to 
France  to  look  over  the  work  being  done 
there,  and  Mr.  Briscoe  and  Miss  Chauvenet 
were  put  in  entire  charge  of  the  organization, 
the  former  as  manager  and  the  latter  as 
executive  secretary.  The  former  officers  and 
directors  of  the  League  consented  to  act  as 
an   advisory  committee. 

When  the  League  first  started  it  took  a  long 
time  for  passports  to  come  through,  and  the 
first  volunteers  did  not  sail  until  the  end  of 
July,  19 1 8.  Though  it  meant  the  sacrifice 
of  money  which  they  could  ill  afford  to  lose, 
they  waited  and  waited  and  were  finally  re- 
warded by  the  matchless  experience  of  enter- 
taining soldiers  at  the  front. 


340 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


E.  H.  Sothern 
Active  member  of  Over-There  Theater  League 

While  the  war  lasted  it  was  only  feasible 
to  send  entertainers  in  little  companies  of  four 
or  five  people,  as  they  had  to  travel  mostly 
in  Ford  cars,  which  made  it  impossible  for 
the  legitimate  actor  to  go  unless  he  had  a 
one-act  sketch  which  required  a  small  cast 
and  no  scenery.  The  early  companies  were, 
therefore,  composed  of  singers,  pianists,  violin- 
ists, vaudeville  comedians,  or  teams,  and  a  few 
actors  playing  one-act  sketches.  It  was  the 
object  in  each  company  to  have  as  much  vari- 
ety as  possible ;  in  some  there  were  several 
vaudeville  turns  of  different  kinds,  with  a 
sketch  including  the  entire  company  given  at 
the  end  of  the  performance ;  in  others,  two 
short  sketches,  with  either  a  singer  or  a  vaude- 
ville turn  between  them.  In  the  fall  of  191 8, 
however,  it  was  found  possible  to  send  a  full 
theatrical  company,  and  in  December  the  first 
stock  company,  composed  of  ten  people,  four 
women  and  six  men,  went  over,  taking  with 
them  a  repcrton'  of  plays.  Later  the  women 
for  three  more  stock  companies  were  sent  to 
France,  the  men  required  to  complete  the 
cast  being  taken  from  actors  released  from 
the  Army  for  that  purpose. 

The  executive  staff  interviewed  the  volun- 
teers, tried  them  out,  formed  them  into 
groups,  and  started  them  on  the  hard  road 
toward  obtaining  their  passports,  after  which 
they  were  transferred  to  the  passport  depart- 
ment,  which    took   care   of   them    until    they 


finally  sailed.  The  difficulty  of  obtaining 
passports  was  considerably  lessened  as  time 
went  on,  until  finally  it  was  possible  for 
any  one,  not  of  German  parentage,  to  sail 
three  weeks  after  he  had  volunteered.  Every 
one  wishing  to  go  to  France  under  the  League 
had  to  give  a  trial  performance.  This  was 
done  by  taking  a  vaudeville  bill,  composed  of 
ten  or  twelve  turns,  to  a  nearby  camp  and 
giving  a  performance  for  soldiers  or  sailors, 
in  which  way  it  was  possible  to  tell  what 
would  be  popular  with  the  same  type  of 
audience  in  France.  It  would  not  have  been 
easy  to  tell  what  to  send  without  the  help  of 
that  characteristic  audience,  though  the  dough- 
boy was  catholic  in  his  tastes  and  liked  any- 
thing really  well  done,  from  slap-stick  com- 
edy to  classic  songs.  When  he  was  pleased  his 
enthusiasm  was  unbounded,  and  when  he  was 
not  he  was  polite,  but  obviously  bored,  much 
resembling  a  big,  overgrown  boy. 

The  League  gave,  from  the  middle  of  June, 
1918,  to  the  first  of  April,  1919,  150  enter- 
tainments, averaging  ten  turns  each.  All  the 
actors  gave  these  performances  without  re- 
muneration, in  spite  of  which  fact  they  often 
cancelled  engagements,  for  which  they  were 
to  receive  pay,  to  give  a  performance  at  a 
camp  or  hospital.  Among  all  the  hundreds 
of  people  who  promised  to  give  entertn.in- 
ments  for  the  League  only  four  disappointed 


Winthrop  Ames 

Prominent  in  the  theatrical  world,  he  served 
his  country  by  organizing  the  Over-There  Thea- 
ter League. 


She  Was  a  Favorite  With  the  Yanks 


Photo  by  Paul  Thompson. 


Elsie  Ferguson  enlisted  all  her  energies  in  war  relief.     In  this  photograph,  she  is  autographing 
hundreds  of  leather  vests  which  were  used  by  the  aviators.     Miss  Ferguson  raised  over  $100,000 
during  one  of  the  Liberty  Loan  drives.     The  strip  of  canvas  with  the  number  of  the  late  Vernop 
Castle's  flying  niachine  was   auctioned  off  by  her  for  $14,500. 


342 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Flioto   by  i'aid    Tnujiipson. 


The  Stage  Women's  War  Relief  to  the  Rescue 

Peggy  O'Neil  amusing  the  first  god-son  of  the    Association.      The    baby's    father   was    an    actor 
soldier  and  the  youngster  was  adopted  by  the  organization.     The  little  trousers  were  made  from 
the  tops  of  discarded  stockings  and  his  dress  from  the  tail  of  a  man's  shirt. 


at  the  last  moment  without  sending  any  word, 
a  unique  record.* 

Before  the  armistice  both  men  and  women 
gave  entertainments  under  fire,  sometimes 
sleeping  in   dugouts,   and  giving  their  shows 

*  The  League  sent  454  entertainers  to  France  before  it 
disbanded  on  the  14th  of  June,  1919;  classified,  they  fall 
into  the  following  groups:  63  comedians,  38  song  and 
dance  teams,  73  pianists,  116  singers,  9  play  directors, 
6  miscellaneous  musicians,  3  dancers,  2  physical  in- 
structors, 6  managers,  :o  monologists,  3  female  imper- 
sonators, 12  magicians,  s  jugglers,  3  chalkologists,  52 
legitimate    actors,    and    15    violinists. 


under  the  most  extraordinary  conditions:  on 
trucks,  on  bridges,  on  the  ground,  anywhere, 
in  fact,  where  there  was  a  crowd  of 
soldiers.  Sometimes  an  air  raid  would  start, 
and  their  only  footlights,  the  headlights  of 
an  automobile,  would  be  put  out.  Nothing 
daunted,  they  went  on  in  the  dark  and  finished 
the  bill.  Actors  are  so  trained  in  the  idea 
that  a  performance  must  be  finished  no  matter 
what  happens,  that  not  even  a  bombardment 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY  343 

would  make  them  run  away  in  the  middle  of  est  of  scenery.  A  performance  of  "Kick  In"  was 

their   work.     After   the   armistice   there   was  g;iven    to   a   most   enthusiastic   audience    in    a 

no  danger,  but  there  were  many  discomforts  doorway  connecting  two  wards  of  a  hospital, 

and  inconveniences,  all  of  which  were  inevita-  though  one   roomful  of  wounded  men  could 

ble,  and  therefore  to  be  ignored.     The  audi-  only  see  the  backs  of  the  actors, 

ences  were  so  enthusiastic   that  nothing  else  As  soon  as  the  Army  of  Occupation  went 

mattered.      As    things    became    more    system-  into    Germany    the    entertainers    were    sent 

atized  and  the  soldiers  were  sent  to  the  larger  there  too,  after  they  had  played  through  the 

towns,    away   from    the    devastated    territory,  south   of   France. 

the  actors  had  more  comfortable  billets,  and  A   great  many   of   the   actors   remained    in 

the   performances   were   given    in    theaters   as  France  until  the  end  of  July,  19 19,  when  the 

well  as  Y.   M.   C.  A.  huts,   though   in  some  soldiers   were   coming   home   so    rapidly   that 

cases   even   a  three-act  or   four-act   play  was  there  was  no  more  need  for  the  entertainment 

given  on  a  raised  platform  with  only  the  crud-  that  had  been  so  wholeheartedly  afforded. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  STAGE  WOMEiN'S  WAR  RELIEF 

What  Was  Done  with  Little  Money  and  a  Great  Enthusiasm 

By  Daisy  Humphreys 

TO  see  an  ideal  born,  grow  up,  and  stride  work,    and    where    enthusiasm    and    success 

forward,  all  in  a  few  weeks  is  so  rare  would  grow  out  of  comradeship  and  under- 

a  thing  that  it  speaks  eloquently  of  the  power  standing   and   the   sharing   of   a  common    re- 

of  the  human  heart  when  it  warms  to  a  great  sponsibility. 

cause.  It  was  decided  at  once  that  a  mass  meeting 

And  this  is  how  it  all  happened:  At  the  of  women  of  the  theater  should  be  called  in 
beginning  of  the  war,  Rachel  Crothers,  the  two  weeks.  By  the  time  this  meeting  took 
president  and  founder  of  the  Stage  Women's  place,  on  Friday,  April  13,  191 7,  a  work- 
War  Relief,  felt  the  restless  depression  which  room  was  in  running  order,  stocked  with  ma- 
came  to  so  many  of  us  because  the  war  made  terials  from  which  surgical  dressings,  hospi- 
life — which  had  been  interesting  and  stimu-  tal  garments,  baby  clothes,  and  soldiers'  knit- 
lating  before — seem  dull  and  selfish  and  nar-  ted  things  could  be  made.  These  two  jobs 
row.  This  depression  and  dissatisfaction  had  had  been  undertaken  at  once  with  the  fear- 
so  seized  her  that  it  became  intolerable  to  go  lessness  of  trained  imaginations  and  the  force 
on  with  the  daily  routine  as  it  was,  and  she  and  directness  of  women  who  are  breadwin- 
wanted   to  know   if  the  women  of  her  own  ners. 

profession    didn't   feel    this    too,    and    to   ask  Through  the  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Harris  the 

them  if  they  didn't  think  they  could  stand  to-  Hudson  Theater  was  opened  for  the  meeting, 

gether  as  a  body  for  war  relief  work,  and  do  and  the  women  of  the  stage  poured  in.    It  was 

more    far-reaching   work    than    any   of    them  the  greatest  coming  together  of  women  of  the 

could  possibly  do  as  individuals.  theater    ever    known,    and    for    the    greatest 

Acting  upon  this  impulse,  she  asked  half  cause, 
a  dozen  colleagues  to  meet  and  discuss  the  Announcement  was  made  that  the  work- 
possibilities  of  such  a  project.  At  this  first  room  was  ready  for  the  workers,  that  Sally 
meeting  of  eager  women  the  foundation  of  the  Williams  Reigel  would  be  in  charge  as  execu- 
organization  w^as  laid  and  built  around  the  tive  manager,  and  that  Minnie  Dupree,  who 
idea  that  they  must  have  a  workroom  of  their  held  a  Red  Cross  diploma  for  a  course  in 
own,  where  the  women  of  the  theater  could  surgical  dressings,  would  conduct  this  depart- 


THE  ar:\ites  of  mercy 


345 


Home  Papers  for  the  Boys  in  France 

Whatever  paper  from  Maine  to  California  the  doughboy  wanted  during  his  period  in  France,  the 

Stage  Women's  War   Relief  saw  that  he  got  it. 


merit — teaching  and  directing  the  others.  The 
following  IMonday  morning  the  doors  of  the 
workroom  were  opened,  and  the  workers  came 
and  returned  regularly  thereafter  as  though 
under  salary.  The  first  case  sent  to  the  Red 
Cross  was  opened  and  examined,  but  never 
another.  The  stage  women  were  thereafter 
permitted  to  send  the  cases  directly  through. 

Elizabeth  Tyree  Metcalf,  who  had  secured 
the  workroom  in  New  York,  made  a  plea  for 
money,  and  her  dippers  were  quickly  filled  to 
overflowing.  Though  this  announcement  is 
a  bit  ahead  of  the  story,  it  must  be  said  here 
that,  at  the  risk  of  possible  criticism,  consent 
was  given  by  the  managers  for  one  Saturday 
night  collection  at  the  theaters,  and  on  April 
21,  191 7,  the  little  dippers  brought  in  $5,000. 
Another  gift,  from  the  Alf  Hayman  and 
Charles  Frohman  Co.,  was  the  net  proceeds 
of  the  three  Barrie  plays  then  current  at  the 
Empire  Theater,  New  York. 

One  of  the  first  duties  undertaken  was  the 


care  of  the  families  of  the  theater  that  had 
suffered  privation  because  their  men  w-ere 
fighting. 

Clothes  and  shoes  were  needed  for  destitute 
families  in  Europe,  and  Vincent  Astor  donated 
a  room  at  18  West  34th  Street  for  the  col- 
lection of  these  articles,  which  were  mended 
and  put  in  order  before  they  were  sent.  A 
jam  department  was  also  started  by  Louise 
Closser  Hale  to  supply  the  convalescent  sol- 
diers with  the  sweets  their  systems  needed. 

Branches  in  the  sewing  department  w-ere 
opened  in  the  Professional  Women's  League, 
the  Three  Arts  Club  and  the  Moving  Picture 
Division  of  the  S.  W.  W.  R.,  where  babies' 
shirts  and  vests  \vere  made,  some  of  them 
from  the  tops  of  silk  stockings,  and  many  of 
the  dresses  from  the  tails  of  men's  shirts. 
Layettes  were  sent  out  consisting  of  48  pieces. 
Several  out  of  town  branches  were  organized 
— in  Philadelphia  by  Mrs.  Otis  Skinner,  in 
Los  Angeles   by   Mrs.    William    Farnum,   in 


346 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


(j3     Underwood  and   o  iideiwood. 


''Jack  Enjoys  a  Few  Hours  Off  Duty" 

He  is  here  shown  in  one  of  the  many  sleeping   rooms  in  the  Stage  Women's  War  Relief  Service 

House  in  New  York  City. 


San  Francisco  by  Camille  D'Arville  Crellin, 
in  Detroit  by  Mary  Mannering  and,  for  the 
traveling  companies,  by  Gladys  Hanson. 

Then  came  a  greater  call,  but  when  Ray- 
mond B.  Fosdick,  appointed  by  Secretary 
Baker  as  Commissioner  of  Recreation  in  the 
Militarj^  Camps,  appealed  to  the  Stage 
Women's  War  Relief  for  help,  they  knew 
that  without  the  cooperation  of  the  men  of 
the  theatrical  profession  this  undertaking 
would  be  utterly  impossible.  So  Mar>^  H. 
Kirkpatrick,  secretary  of  the  S.  W.  W.  R., 
took  the  map  of  the  United  States,  with  the 
training  camps  marked  upon  it,  and  laid  it, 
with  the  whole  matter,  before  Mr.  Sam  H. 
Harris  and  Sam  Forrest. 

As  Mr.  Harris  studied  the  map  and  began 
to  think  he  said,  "This  looks  to  me  now  colos- 
sal and  impossible."  But  the  more  he  studied 
and  the  more  he  thought,  the  more  he  rose  to 


the  great  idea  that  this  was  the  one  priceless 
thing  which  the  theater,  and  the  theater 
alone,  could  do  for  its  country;  and  the  more 
convinced  he  became  that  it  would  be  possible 
to  work  out  a  scheme  by  which,  w^orking  from 
the  principal  theatrical  centers,  groups  of  play- 
ers could  reach  the  camps  and  give  the  sol- 
diers entertainment  that  would  keep  them  in 
touch  with  home  and  the  things  they  had 
given  up,  and  would  tell  them  more  forcibly 
than  anything  else  the  theatrical  world's  ap- 
preciation of  what  they  were  doing.  It  would 
help  to  break  their  isolation  and  carry  them 
over  hard  hours  of  boredom  and  homesickness 
and  the  temptations  that  loneliness  brings,  and 
above  all  it  w'ould  prove  that  the  theater  held 
something  more  than  art  and  commercialism, 
and  could  carr>^  a  message  of  love  and  healing 
on  its  wings.  Mr.  Harris  took  up  the  burden, 
said  he  ■'.vould  see  what  could  be  done,  and 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


347 


Behind  the  Scenes  at  the  S.  W.  W.  R.  Theater 

This  was  in  Debarkation  Hospital  No.  5,  Grand  Central  Palace,  New  York,  where  many  noted 

players    and    entertainers    appeared. 


the  next  day  sent  the  Stage  Women's  War 
Relief  the  modest  but  powerful  message  that 
"Mr.  George  M.  Cohan  and  Mr.  Sam  Har- 
ris will  do  their  bit  by  starting  a  scheme  by 
which  the  theatrical  profession  can  give  good 
shows  to  our  boys  in  the  camps." 

The  initial  performance  was  given  by 
members  of  the  Friars'  Club  and  several 
women  artists  at  Fort  Meyer  on  June  9,  19 17. 
Units  were  also  sent  abroad  to  entertain  the 
boys  in  the  camps  of  the  A.  E.  F.  There 
were  thousands  of  lonely  soldiers  In  New 
York  City,  and  to  help  these  seemed  even 
more  difficult.     Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr. 


William  A.  Brady,  Mr.  A.  O.  Brown  and 
cooperation  of  E.  A.  Albee  and  Wilmer 
and  Vincent,  vaudeville  performances  were 
given  at  the  Playhouse,  Dorothy  Donnelly 
acting  as  chairman.  When  ]\Iiss  Donnelly 
was  called  away,  Grace  George  took  over  the 
work,  and,  through  the  efforts  of  Miss  George, 
Sunday  night  performances  of  current  attrac- 
tions were  arranged  for  the  soldiers.  Each 
manager  guaranteed  two  performances,  but 
each  gave  at  least  sixteen.  Not  only  did  the 
players  volunteer  their  services  for  these  per- 
formances, but  the  musicians,  stage  hands,  elec- 
tricians and  carpenters  as  well — a  thing  un- 


348 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


precedented    in    the    history    of    the    theater. 

A  letter  came  from  France  saying  that  the 
French  were  making  vests  out  of  kid,  and 
that  these  jackets  were  warmer  than  the 
heaviest  sweaters  and  were  the  only  wind- 
proof  garment.  Demands  for  them  became 
so  insistent  that  the  S.  W.  W.  R.  decided 
something  definite  must  be  done  about  it.  A 
loft  was  donated  for  the  making  of  these 
vests,  and,  with  Mrs.  Donaldson  and  Chris- 
tine Blessing  in  charge,  a  call  was  sent  for  kid, 
whether  gloves,  belts  or  table  covers.  In  addi- 
tion, one  evening  a  week,  under  the  direction 
of  Bijou  Fernandez,  the  women  who  could 
come,  came,  and  surgical  dressings  and  wind- 
proof  vests  were  made  by  the  "night  class." 

The  work  of  the  S.  W.  W.  R.  had  grov^n 
so  large  that  a  branch  was  formed  with 
Chrystal  Heme  as  chairman,  and  a  canteen 
was  started  which  fed  and  entertained  from 
300  to  600  boys  on  Sundays  from  three  to 
eleven  p.  m.  Out  of  this  grew  the  Service 
House,  where  100  boys  found  bed  and  break- 
fast. 

In  all  the  Liberty  Loan  drives  the  Stage 
Women's  War  Relief  led.  Ray  Cox,  Julia 
Arthur,  Blanche  Bates,  Georgia  Caine  Hud- 
son, Dorothy  Donnelly,  Florence  Nash  and 
Vera  Bloom  were  among  the  forceful  and  in- 
defatigable workers. 

As  the  hospitals  throughout  the  country 
became  crowded  with  wounded,  homesick 
boys,  a  new  department  of  the  S.  W,  W.  R. 
was  formed  by  Amelia  Bingham  and  Eula 
Garrison,  to  arrange  for  their  entertainment. 
The  S.  W.  W.  R.  realized  that  a  theater  in 
Debarkation  Hospital  No.  5  (Grand  Central 
Palace,  New  York  City)  would  be  an  ideal 
thing.  After  some  difficulty  it  was  completed 
and  the  most  distinguished  stars  of  the  stage 
volunteered  their  services.  The  actress  never 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  a  call. 

The  biggest  idea  the  stage  women  had, 
from  a  lucrative  standpoint,  was  the  motion 
picture.  For  this,  again,  the  stars  of  our 
stage  volunteered  their  services.  Among  them 
was  Shelley  Hull,  who  gave  all  his  strength 
to  the  Stage  Women's  War  Relief  and  to  his 
country  by  his  work  in  "An  Honorable  Cad," 
the  last  role  he  created  before  his  untimely 
death.  Three  great  managers  also  appeared 
— David  Belasco,  Daniel  Frohman,  and  Flo- 
renz   Zeigfeld,   Jr.,    who   had   previously    re- 


fused almost  fantastic  offers  to  appear  in  films. 
They  consented  to  do  this  for  the  Stage 
Women's  War  Relief.  The  best  known  au- 
thors sent  in  scenarios ;  and  then  the  most 
tragic  of  situations  developed — there  was  no 
money  for  production !  But  a  fairy  godfather 
found  the  money  for  twelve  two-reelers  be- 
fore even  one  was  sold.  Twelve  films  in  all 
were  made,  with  Jessie  Boustelle  as  chairman 
and  Esther  Eagle  as  casting  director,  and  part 
of  the  money  realized  was  turned  into  the 
building  of  the  theater  in  Grand  Central 
Palace,  which  was  equipped,  maintained  and 
presented  to  the  government.  This  was  the 
cnly  theater  in  New  York  without  a  box 
office. 

Then  came  the  armistice,  and  the  actress 
realized  that  her  work  had  just  begun.  She 
saw  the  boys  come  back,  some  of  them  with 
military  honors  and  high  hopes,  it  is  true,  but 
many  more  with  weary  faces  and  weary 
hearts  and  broken  bodies.  To  put  a  hopeful 
gleam  in  those  sad  young  ej^s,  to  help  them 
in  the  difficult  task  of  reconstructing  their 
shattered  lives,  and  to  stand  staunchly  by 
them  in  this  effort,  was  what  the  stage  women 
felt  to  be  their  duty.  The  first  step  in  that 
direction  was  the  Service  House.  Then  came 
the  idea  of  maintaining  a  home  for  the  care 
and  education  of  the  permanently  disabled 
boys,  until  they  should  be  able  to  stand  on 
their  own  feet.  In  this  effort  the  Stage 
Women's  War  Relief  worked  in  cooperation 
with  the  Federal  Government. 

Many  of  the  soldiers  in  the  hospitals  had 
not  left  their  beds  for  months,  and  were  far 
too  weak  to  take  advantage  of  the  amusements 
provided  for  their  convalescent  brothers. 
When  the  warm  weather  came  In  the  spring 
of  1 919,  so  wan  and  wistful  did  these  poor 
boys  look  that  the}^  inspired  a  great  idea :  a 
picnic.  The  plan  was  received  with  enthu- 
siasm at  headquarters,  and  in  a  few  days  the 
first  picnic  was  arranged  by  Mrs.  Wm.  Carle- 
ton,  chairman.  Private  motors  conveyed  the 
seriously  wounded  boys  from  the  hospitals  to 
an  estate  within  easy  motoring  distance  from 
New  York.  Their  wheelchairs  were  taken 
out  by  the  women  of  the  Motor  Corps  and 
placed  on  the  lawn  beneath  the  trees.  The 
soldiers  looked  forward  eagerly  to  these  out- 
ings, and  it  was  astonishing  to  see  what  a 
difference   even    one    day   In    the    open    made 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


349 


in  their  outlook  en  life.  One  bcj^  had  been 
operated  upon  sixteen  times,  and  the  seven- 
teenth operation  was  performed  the  day  after 
one  of  the  picnics.  When  they  had  put  him 
on  the  operating  table,  and  just  before  the 
ether  was  given  him,  he  said,  "Well,  I  had 
one  good  day  anyway." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  give  a  list  of  all 
who  were  so  splendidly  loyal  to  the  Stage 
Women's  War  Relief.  It  is  not  an  exaggera- 
tion to  say  that  their  names  embrace  every 
member  of  the  profession,  men,  women  and 
children,  all  of  whom  gave  their  services  in 
whatever  capacity  they  were  thought  most 
useful,  and  I  must  state  that  much  of  our  suc- 
cess is  due  to  the  extreme  kindness  of  both 
newspapers    and    magazines,    who   were    ever 


eager  to  give  us  far  more  space  than  we  dared 
hope  for,  and  without  whose  help  our  light 
would  be  dim  indeed. 

TheWar Relief, which  ranked  third  among 
all  war  organizations,  never  asked  for  money — 
it  always  gave.  The  Stage  Women's  War 
Relief  never  received  monetary  aid  from  the 
government:  the  drives  it  participated  in — 
and  they  were  many — were  always  for  some 
one  else.  That  the  stage  women  were  able 
to  keep  sufficient  funds  in  the  treasury  to 
carry  on  a  work  of  such  magnitude  was  due 
to  two  facts.  Their  "hunches"  were  little 
short  of  real  inspiration ;  they  had  big  ideas 
and  they  marketed  those  ideas,  and  their  best 
good  fortune  was  never  better  than  their  good 
friends. 


"WE  ARE  RICH  IN  OUR  POOR" 

American  Jewish  War  Relief 


AT  the  outbreak  of  the  Great  War,  more 
than  nine  and  a  hr.lf  million  of  the  13,- 
000,000  Jews  in  the  world  lived  in  the  bel- 
ligerent countries,  and  over  three  and  one- 
half  million  lived  in  the  territory  of  the  three 
Polands,  the  scene  of  the  most  sanguinary 
fighting.  When  the  war  opened,  there  were 
a  million  and  a  half  Jews  in  Russian  Poland 
and  two  million  in  Galicia,  while  Serbia  had 
more  than  30,000.  As  to  Turkey  in  general 
and  Palestine  in  particular,  though  they  were 
not'  scenes  of  military  operations  during  the 
first  months  of  the  war,  it  is  important  to 
note  that  there  were  250,000  Jews  in  the 
Ottoman  Empire,  of  whom  78,000  lived  in 
the  Holy  Land.  With  each  nation  involved 
in  the  struggle  straining  every  effort  and  ap- 
plying its  entire  resources  toward  military  suc- 
cess, there  was  thus  only  one  source  to  which 
the  non-combatant  Jewish  populations  could 
look  for  the  amelioration  of  their  unfortunate 
lot  and  the  alleviation  of  their  suffering, 
namely,  the  great,  prosperous  community  in 
America;  and  the  Jews  of  the  United  States 
learned  quickly  that  their  co-religionists  over- 
seas were  instinctively  turning  their  beseech- 
ing ej^es  to  peaceful  America. 


The  Jews  of  the  British  Empire  were  able 
to  aid  the  Jews  of  the  United  States  in  re- 
lieving sufferers  in  Asia  and  on  the  continent, 
especially  in  Russia.  The  Jews  in  France, 
comparatively  few,  were  not  faced,  thanks  to 
the  freedom  they  enjoyed,  with  any  special  eco- 
nomic problem,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of 
the  600,000  Jews  in  the  German  Empire. 

HUNGRY  AND  HOMELESS 

In  the  other  belligerent  countries,  however, 
there  was  a  totally  different  state  of  affairs. 
The  rapid  march  of  the  Russian  armies  into 
East  Prussia  and  Galicia,  and  of  the  Aus- 
trian troops  into  Serbia,  was  followed  by 
counter-attacks  and  counter-invasions,  all  in- 
volving confiscation,  expulsion,  destitution,  and 
devastation  on  a  stupendous  scale,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  complete  stoppage  of  all  productive 
industry.  Thus  there  were  caused  indescrib- 
able confusion  and  distress,  multitudes  being 
rendered  homeless  and  penniless,  while  the 
financial  and  industrial  dislocation  in  the  cen- 
ters of  population  remote  from  the  battlefields 
was  immediately  aggravated  when  these  com- 
munities were  suddenly  called  upon  to  care  for 


350 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


a  horde  of  fugitives.  In  war-torn  lands  the 
lot  of  the  civilian  is  deplorable ;  but  the  penury 
which  had  prevailed  among  the  Jews  in  Gali- 
cia,  and  the  misery  brought  about  by  the  in- 
vading forces,  rendered  the  lot  of  the  Austrian 
and  Polish  Jews,  especially  those  within  the 
Pale  of  Settlement  (in  Russia),  even  more 
abject  than  that  of  their  Christian  compa- 
triots. 

Although  Turkey  did  not  become  one  of  the 
belligerents  until  a  number  of  months  had 
passed,  the  situation  of  the  Jews  in  Palestine 
became  precarious  almost  immediately  upon 
the  outbreak  of  the  war.  A  small  group  of 
intrepid  idealists,  who  had  been  struggling  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century  to  make  the  ancient 
home  of  the  Jewish  people  once  again  a  "land 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey,"  had  become  in  a 
measure  self-supporting,  but  the  large  major- 
ity of  the  Jewish  population  were  still  depend- 
ent upon  their  co-religionists  in  Europe  and 
America.  Even  the  colonists  were  obliged  to 
rely  upon  the  markets  of  Europe  for  the  sale 
of  their  produce.  The  situation,  then,  may 
readily  be  pictured,  when,  upon  the  outbreak 
of  the  war,  Palestine  found  itself  abruptly  cut 
off  from  Europe,  with  the  result  that  the  aged 
pensioners,  the  schools,  orphan  asylums,  hos- 
pitals, and  other  institutions,  suddenly  ceased 
to  receive  the  funds  which  had  hitherto  sus- 
tained them. 

Thus  the  Jewish  community  in  America 
found  itself  confronted  with  the  gigantic  task 
of  providing  the  elementary  necessaries  of  life 
for  millions  of  their  co-religionists. 

The  first  call  for  help  came  from  Palestine. 
In  cablegrams  addressed  to  Messrs.  Louis 
Marshall  and  Jacob  H.  Schiff,  the  Hon.  Henry 
Morgenthau,  then  am.bassador  to  Turkey, 
stated  that  thousands  of  indigent  Jews,  here- 
tofore dependent  for  their  subsistence  on  con- 
tributions from  Jews  in  countries  that  had  en- 
tered the  war,  were  in  great  distress,  the  sum 
of  $50,000  being  immediately  necessary  to  save 
them  from  actual  starvation.  Accordingly,  at 
a  meeting  on  August  31,  19 14,  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  American  Jewish  Commit- 
tee took  the  first  step  for  the  relief  of  Jews  in 
warring  countries  by  voting  an  appropriation 
of  $50,000,  upon  the  offer  of  Mr.  Schiff  to 
contribute  $12,500  and  the  assurance  that  the 
balance  of  the  $50,000  would  be  contributed 
by  the  Provisional  Executive  Committee   for 


Henry  H.  Rosenfelt 

An  attorney  of  Kansas  City  who  was  Director 
of  the  American  Jewish  Relief  Committee  dur- 
ing the  great  war. 

General  Zionist  Affairs.  The  money  was  sent 
by  cable  to  Mr.  Morgenthau,  who  appointed 
a  committee  in  Palestine  to  administer  it  as 
they  thought  fit. 

At  the  same  time,  beginning  August  i8th, 
Mr.  Morris  Engelman  and  Mr.  Albert  Lucas, 
of  the  Union  of  Orthodox  Congregations,  had 
set  the  organization  on  the  road  to  relief 
work. 

The  call  from  Palestine  was  followed  by 
appeals  from  responsible  organizations  in  every 
one  of  the  belligerent  countries.  During  the 
invasion  of  Belgium  the  Jewish  community 
of  Antwerp,  overwhelmed  by  the  requests  for 
assistance  from  Jewish  fugitives  from  other 
cities,  sent  an  appeal  to  the  American  Jewish 
Committee,  which  at  once  remitted  $5,000  for 
the  relief  of  the  Belgian  Jews.  The  Alliance 
Israelite  Universelle  and  the  Anglo-Jewish 
Association  likewise  turned  to  the  American 
Jewish  Committee,  asking  its  assistance  in  car- 
ing for  the  thousands  of  immigrants  who,  at 


Painting  by  R.  M.  Brinkerhoff 


Shipping  Overseas 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


351 


the  outbreak  of  the  war,  were  on  their  way 
to  America,  but  were  unable  to  continue  their 
journey  across  the  Atlantic.  The  Israelitische 
Allianz    of    Vienna    called    attention    to    the 


THE  JEWS  OF  AMERICA  SEE  THE  GREAT  NEED 

In   the  meantime  a  number  of  individuals 
and   organizations   in   the   United   States  had 


wretched  situation  of  the  thousands  of  Jews      begun  to  make  appeals  for  funds.    At  the  end 
who  had  fled  from  the  cities  of  Vienna,  Prague,      of   September,   for  instance,  the  Independent 


Seeking  News  of  Missing  Relatives 


The    New  York   office   in    Second  Avenue    of  the  American  Jewish  War  Relief  was  a  clearing;: 
house  for  information  sent  by  its  agents  in  Poland,   regarding  refugees  whose   relatives  here  were 

anxious   to    learn   of   their   welfare. 


and  Budapest.  The  chief  rabbi  of  Salonika, 
Greece,  not  then  a  belligerent  country,  in- 
formed the  American  Jewish  Committee  that 
the  situation  of  the  Jewish  community  of  that 
city,  which  had  not  recovered  from  the  effects 
of  the  Balkan  Wars,  had  on  account  of  the 
outbreak  of  the  European  conflagration  be- 
come increasingly  critical. 


Order  B'nai  B'rith  issued  an  appeal  to  its 
membership  for  funds  to  assist  its  lodges  in 
Austria,  Germany,  and  the  Orient.  About 
the  same  time,  the  Union  of  Orthodox  Jewish 
Congregations  made  a  similar  appeal  through 
its  constituent  congregations,  signed  by  Mr. 
Morris  Engelman,  Mr.  Albert  Lucas,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Bernard  Drachman,  the  Rev,  Dr.  Philip 


352 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Klein,  the  Rev.  Dr.  H.  Pereira  Mendes, 
Rabbi  M.  S.  Margolies  and  Rev.  Dr.  Moses 
Hyamson 

The  collection  of  funds  was  also  undertaken 
by  several  minor  organizations  of  Jewish  im- 
migrants coming  from  various  towns  or  vil- 
lages in  the  Old  World,  especially  in  the  case 
of  Galicians  and   Poles.     These   funds  were 


mittee  was  made  at  the  instance  of  the  Union 
of  Orthodox  Jewish  Congregations.  A  few 
days  after  the  meeting  of  the  Central  Com- 
mittee, the  American  Jewish  Committee  issued 
an  invitation  to  all  national  Jewish  organiza- 
tions in  the  United  States,  including  the 
Central  Committee,  just  organized,  to  send 
delegates  to  a  conference  to  be  held  in  New 


O      L'lulci  :,'oo.l  ai:,l    Ci 


Going  to  School  in  Rheims 


Even  the  tiniest  tots  in  the  towns  of  northern  France  always  carried  gas  masks  at  their  sides,  ready 
to  don  at  a  moment's  notice  whenever  the  Germans  commenced  a  gas  attack. 


intended  for  tlie  relief  of  Jews  in  the  several 
places  indicated. 

The  feeling  soon  became  widespread  among 
American  Jews  interested  in  the  fate  of  Euro- 
pean Jewries  that  united  action  on  the  part 
of  all  the  Jews  of  this  continent  was  de- 
manded by  the  stupendous  emergency.  On 
October  4,  1914,  as  a  result  of  a  meeting  held 
under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  Leon  Kamaiky, 
publisher  of  the  Jewish  Daily-Neivs,  Ne\t 
York  City,  and  attended  in  the  main  by  rep- 
resentatives of  Orthodox  congregations,  the 
Central  Committee  for  the  Relief  of  Jews 
Suffering  Through  the  War  was  organized. 
The  first  attempt  to  organize  a  general  corn- 


York  City,  for  the  purpose  of  effectively  or- 
ganizing the  collection  and  distribution  of 
funds  under  the  control  of  a  committee  which 
should  be  representative  of  all  phases  of 
American  Jewrj^  In  the  call  to  this  con- 
ference the  problem  confronting  the  Jews  of 
America  was  graphically  described  as  fol- 
lows : 

"The  stupendous  conflict  which  is  now  rag- 
ing on  the  European  continent  is  a  calamity, 
the  extent  of  which  transcends  imagination. 
While  all  mankind  is  directly  or  indirectly 
involved  in  the  consequences,  the  burden  of 
suffering  and  of  destitution  rests  with  espe- 
cial   weight    upon    our    brethren    in    eqstern 


354 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Europe.  The  embattled  armies  are  spread- 
ing havoc  and  desolation  within  the  Jewish 
Pale  of  Settlement  in  Russia,  and  the  Jews 
of  Galicia  and  East  Prussia  dwell  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  war  zone.  Hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  Jews  of  the  world  live  in  the  regions 
where  active  hostilities  are  in  progress.  The 
Jews  of  Palestine,  who  have  largely  depended 
on  Europe  for  assistance,  have  been  literally 
cut  off  from  their  sources  of  supply;  while 
the  Jews  of  Germany,  Belgium,  France,  and 
England  are  struggling  with  burdens  of  their 
own.  In  this  exigency,  it  is  evident  that  the 
Jews  of  America  must  again  come  to  the  res- 
cuie.  They  must  assume  the  duty  of  giving 
relief  commensurate  with  the  existing  needs. 
They  must  be  prepared  to  make  sacrifices, 
and  to  proceed  systematically  in  collecting 
and  distributing  a  fund  which  will,  so  far  as 
possible,  alleviate  this  extraordinary  distress. 
There  is  probably  no  parallel  in  history  to 
the  present  status  of  the  Jews.  Unity  of 
action  is  essential  to  accomplish  the  best  re- 
sults. There  should  be  no  division  in  counsel 
or  in  sentiment.  All  differences  should  be 
laid  aside  and  forgotten.  Nothing  counts 
now  but  harmonious  and  effective  action." 

At  the  ensuing  conference  which  was  held 
on  October  25,  1914,  forty  prganizations 
were  represented.  Under  the  presidency  of 
Mr.  Louis  Marshall,  the  meeting  authorized 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  of  five,  which 
was  to  select  a  committee  of  one  hundred 
upon  which  every  Jewish  organization  invited 
to  the  conference  was  to  be  represented  by 
at  least  one  member  of  its  own  choosing. 
This  general  committee  was  then  to  elect 
from  its  members  an  executive  committee  of 
twenty-five.  The  committee  of  five  consisted 
of  Messrs.  Oscar  S.  Straus,  Julian  W.  Mack, 
Louis  D.  Brandeis,  Harry  Fischel,  and 
Meyer  London.  In  this  way  the  American 
Jewish  Relief  Committee  was  organized  with 
Mr.  Louis  Marshall  as  president,  Mr.  Cyrus 
L.  Sulsberger  as  secretary,  and  Mr.  Felix  M. 
Warburg  as  treasurer. 

Pending  the  organization  of  the  American 
Jewish  Relief  Committee,  the  Central  Com- 
mittee had  been  engaged  in  collecting  funds, 
and  had  already  remitted  $5,000  to  the  Israel- 
itische  Allianz  in  Vienna,  and  $5,000  for 
distribution  through  suitable  agencies  in  Pal- 
estine.    The  Central  Committee,  however,  in 


the  belief  that  it  could  be  of  greater  assist- 
ance as  a  separate  organization,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  its  administrators  had  established 
close  affiliations  with  the  orthodox  element, 
declined  to  become  absorbed  in  the  American 
Jewish  Relief  Committee,  but  manifested  its 
willingness  to  cooperate  in  the  raising  of 
funds. 

FURTHER    ORGANIZATION 

On  November  22,  1914,  at  the  meeting  of 
the  Committee  of  One  Hundred  of  the 
American  Jewish  Relief  Committee,  it  was 
announced  that  the  American  Jewish  Com- 
mittee had  voted  to  transfer  to  the  Relief 
Committee  the  sum  of  $100,000  from  its 
Emergency  Trust  Fund,  and  a  great  many 
of  the  persons  present  pledged  additional 
amounts.  It  was  decided  to  organize  local 
committees  in  every  city  having  a  consider- 
able Jewish  population,  and  to  stimulate  the 
contribution  of  funds  by  means  of  personal 
appeals,  mass  meetings,  and  the  like.  Since 
its  inception  and  up  to  July  i,  1919,  the 
American  Jewish  Relief  Committee  collected 
more  than  80  per  cent  of  all  the  funds  con- 
tributed by  the  American  Jewry.  Among  the 
representative  Jews  on  this  committee  were 
such  well-known  men  as  Nathan  Straus,  Louis 
Marshall,  Jacob  H.  Schiff,  Julius  Rosenwald, 
Henry  Morgenthau,  Abram  I.  Elkus  and 
other  leaders  in  American  Jewry. 

In  August,  191 5,  another  organization,  the 
People's  Relief  Committee,  was  formed,  its 
object  being  to  reach  persons  who  were  not  re- 
sponsive to  the  appeals  of  the  existing  relief 
committees. 

In  order  to  avoid  duplication  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  relief  funds  collected  in 
America,  the  two  relief  committees,  namely, 
the  American  Jewish  Relief  Committee  and 
the  Central  Committee,  organized,  on  No- 
vember 27,  1914,  a  Joint  Distribution  Com- 
mittee consisting  of  representatives  of  both 
organizations;  and  In  November,  1915,  the 
People's  Relief  Committee,  which  had  been 
organized  several  months  before,  also  sent 
representatives  to  the  Joint  Distribution 
Committee.  This  body,  as  its  name  implies, 
makes  appropriations  out  of  the  funds  re- 
ceived for  the  relief  of  Jews  in  the  various 
countries.  A  special  sub-committee  of  eight 
received     all     reports    concerning    conditions 

VII— 23 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


355 


abroad,  and,  on  the  basis  of  these  reports, 
made  recommendations  to  the  full  committee, 
which  decided  the  amounts  to  be  allotted. 

The  three  relief  committees  worked  through 
local  committees  in  every  part  of  the  country, 
and  were  now  in  touch  with  Jews  in  fitteen 
hundred  places;  in  every  state  in  the  Union, 
as  well  as  in  Cuba,  Canada,  Newfoundland, 
South  America,  Central  America,  Haw;iii, 
and  the  West  Indies.     During  the  first  year 


more  than  half  of  the  house  of  Israel.  With 
this  end  in  view,  the  American  Jewish  Re- 
lief Committee  planned  a  series  of  mass  meet- 
ings and  decided  to  set  out  to  gather  during 
19 1 6,  with  the  assistance  of  the  other  com- 
mittees, the  sum  of  five  million  dollars.  The 
first  mass  meeting  was  held  in  New  York 
City  on  the  evening  of  December  21,  191 5; 
that  night  over  $400,000  in  cash  was  col- 
lected, with  pledges  amounting  to  more  than 


^..^ 


■r''>         ' 


^-*, 


The  United  States  Helped  in  Warsaw 


o  iidcrii.uoJ. 


American    food   fed   practically  every  country   in  distress  not  only  during  the  war  but  after  the 
signing  of  the  armistice.     The  man  marked  with   a  cross  is   Mr.    Minkiewicz,   Secretary   of   Pro- 
visions   for    Poland. 


of  their  existence,  or  up  to  December,  191 5, 
the  three  committees  succeeded  in  raising  one 
and  a  half  million  dollars.  Then  came  re- 
ports from  abroad  that  the  distress  among  the 
Jews  was  unparalleled,  and  that  unprece- 
dented efforts  and  greater  sacrifices  would 
have  to  be  made,  if  the  Jewish  communities 
in  the  war  zones  were  to  be  saved  from  ex- 
tinction. It  was  necessary  to  present  much 
more  sharply  and  personally  to  the  Jews  of 
America  the  dimensions  of  the  stupendous 
catastrophe    which    threatened    the    ruin    of 


half  a  million  dollars.  Similar  meetings 
were  held  in  other  cities,  with  similar  results. 
In  Baltimore,  $64,000  was  contributed ;  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  $io,000;  in  Cincinnati, 
$60,000;  in  Philadelphia,  $200,000 ;  in  Chi- 
cago, $350,000;  in  Buffalo,  $50,000.  Other 
cities  were  quick  to  follow  these  examples, 
considerable  impetus  being  given  to  the 
movement  by  the  designation  by  President 
Wilson,  of  January  27,  191 7,  as  a  special  day 
for  contributions  to  the  Jewish  relief  funds. 
By    the   close   of    the   year    191 6   more   than 


356 


THE  ARIMIES  OF  MERCY 


four   and   three-quarters   million    dollars   had 
been  raised. 

A   COMMISSION   TO    EUROPE 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1916, 
the  Joint  Distribution  Committee  planned  to 
send  a  commission  to  Europe  to  investigate 
the  workings  of  the  committees  through  whose 
agency  the  American  funds  were  being  dis- 
tributed, but  because  of  various  diplomatic 
difficulties,  only  one  member  of  the  commis- 
sion, Dr.  Judah  L.  Magnes,  w^as  allowed  to 
go,  and  even  he  was  not  permitted  to  enter 
Russia.  Upon  his  return  to  the  United 
States,  in  the  autumn.  Dr.  Magnes  stated  em- 
phatically that,  although  the  utmost  efficiency 
and  sagacity  were  being  employed  in  the  work 
of  relieving  distress  among  the  Jews  of  the 
war  zones,  the  large  funds  thus  far  raised  in 
Europe  and  in  America  were  utterly  inade- 
quate ;  and  he  suggested  that,  if  the  work  thus 
far  done  was  not  to  be  in  vain,  the  goal  for 
the  year  19 17  ought  to  be  ten  million  dollars. 

The  various  committees  at  once  set  out  to 
raise  this  sum  during  191 7.  On  December 
21,  1916,  the  anniversary  of  the  first  meet- 
ing, another  was  held  in  New  York  City, 
and  it  was  followed  by  meetings  in  Philadel- 
phia, Allentown,  Charleston,  S.  C,  Syracuse, 
Baltimore,  Youngstown,  Milwaukee,  Dayton^ 
Louisville,  Columbus,  Chicago,  Pittsburgh, 
and  other  places.  Great  assistance  was  given 
to  the  movement  by  the  offer  of  Mr.  Julius 
Rosenwald,  of  Chicago,  to  give  10  per  cent, 
of  the  total  amount  raised  by  November  ist, 
provided  this  did  not  exceed  ten  million  dol- 
lars. Mr.  Rosenwald's  example  was  followed 
in  many  communities,  a  number  of  persons 
offering  to  give  10  per  cent,  of  the  amount 
raised  in  various  cities  or  states.  In  one  case 
the  offer  was  10  per  cent,  of  the  amount 
raised  in  several  states  together. 

The  two  other  committees  cooperated  in 
the  effort  to  raise  that  sum.  The  People's 
Relief  Committee  held  a  mass  meeting  in 
New  York  City  in  March,  191 7,  and  the 
Central  Committee  organized  a  series  of 
thirty  concerts  of  traditional  synagogue  music 
in  various  cities,  the  first  of  which  was  given 
in  New  York  City  in  May,  191 7.  These 
concerts  met  with  full  appreciation  as  was 
attested  by  the  crowds  attending. 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 

From  Poland 

This  typical  specimen  of  young  Poland  fought 
for  the  country  of  his  birth  as  well  as  that  of 
his   adoption  when   he  enlisted  under  the   Stars 
and  Stripes. 

IN    BRUTAL   RUSSIA 

The  agent  of  the  Joint  Distribution  Com- 
mittee in  Russia  was  the  Jewish  Colonization 
Association  (JCA),  which  turned  over  the 
funds  received  to  the  Central  Jewish  Com- 
mittee for  the  Relief  of  Sufferers  in  the  War, 
with  headquarters  at  Petrograd  and  local 
committees  in  almost  one  hundred  and  fifty 
centers  of  population.  The  Russian  Relief 
Committee  was  mainly  engaged  in  helping 
the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Jews  scattered 
throughout  Russia  in  the  summer  of  19 15. 
when  the  military  authorities  cleared  the  en- 
tire region  of  war  operations  during  invasion 
of  the  German  troops  into  Poland,  which  in- 
vasion resulted  in  the  temporary  occupation  by 
Germany  of  the  Pale  of  Settlement.  Hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  Jews  were  almost  at  a 
moment's  notice  transported  into  the  interior 
provinces  of  Russia,  thousands  of  miles  away 
from  their  homes,  where  they  found  it  almost 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


357 


impossible  to  earn  a  livelihood.  The  Russian 
Committee,  through  its  branch  agencies,  came 
to  the  assistance  of  the  refugees,  secured 
means  of  transportation  for  them,  met  them 
at  way  stations  with  food  and  other  neces- 
sities, and  did  everything  possible  to  help  them 
to  become  self-supporting  in  their  new  en- 
vironments. 

The    German    troops    advanced    so    rapidly 
into  Poland,  however,  that  there  was  not  suf- 


the  task  that  confronted  the  Joint  Distribu- 
tion Committee  it  is  necessary  to  consider 
that  in  Eastern  Europe  there  are  some  500 
towns  having  a  Jewish  population  of  5,000  or 
less.  The  significance  of  this  figure  lies  in 
the  fact  that  the  problem  of  relief  distribution 
in  small  cities  is  always  much  more  acute 
than  in  rural  communities  or  large  cities. 
This  difficult  condition  was  met  by  sending 
the    funds   to   a   national    distributing   or   dis- 


ij      L  nJci  \ood   and    L  iidciii.'ood. 


Food  Supplies  for  the  Starving  in  Poland 

This   was   the   first   shipment   of   kosher   meat  which    was    sent    abroad.     Other    relief    supplies, 
including  money  and  clothing  valued  at  more  than  $7,000,000,  were  sent  abroad  by  American  Jews 

between   January    and   June,    1919. 


ficient  time  for  the  evacuation  of  the  country 
by  all  the  civil  population ;  consequently  a 
great  number  of  the  Jews  remained  in  the 
occupied  territories.  Their  plight  was  as 
wretched  as  that  of  those  who  had  been  ex- 
pelled, because  they  were  victimized  by  both 
the  retreating  Russian  troops  and  the  invad- 
ers, while  they  suffered  enormous  losses 
through  the  destruction  of  property  incidental 
to  the  intense  artillery  actions  characteristic 
of  modern  warfare. 

In  order  to  get  a  fair  idea  of  the  size  of 


bursing  committee  in  the  various  afflicted 
countries.  These  in  turn  set  up  local  dis- 
tribution committees  to  investigate  the  needs 
of  their  respective  communities  and  to  attend 
to  the  actual  allotment  and  distribution  of  the 
funds  appropriated  by  the  national  organiza- 
tion. 

NEARLY   A    MILLION"    DEPENDENTS 

According  to  the  authentic  reports  in  the 
possession  of  the  Joint  Distribution  Commit- 
tee, there  were  in  the  Russian  territory  occu- 


358  THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 

pied   by  Germany  about   1,760,000  Jews,   of  and    Russian    territory    under    Austria-Hun- 

whom  about  three-quarters  of  a  million,   ab-  gary's  control. 

solutely  without  means  of  self-support,  were  In  Turkey,  in   Palestine,  in  Salonika,  and 
entirely   dependent   upon   relief   agencies.      In  in  Alexandria,  where  a  large  number  of  refu- 
this  territory,  until  the  United  States  became  gees  from  Palestine  were  gathered,  the  Ameri- 
involved    in   the   war,   American    funds   were  can  funds,  which  were  sent  periodically,  were 
administered    by    the    Judisches    Hilfskomite  administered    by   local   committees   accredited 
fiir    Polen     (Jewish     Relief    Committee    for  by  United  States  diplomatic  officials. 
Poland),  which  was  formed  shortly  after  the  Besides    appropriations    which    were    made 
German   occupation.      This   committee   relied  from  time  to  time  for  Russia,   Poland,  Aus- 
upon  the  Hilfsvereinder  Deutschen  Juden  for  tria-Hungary,    Turkey,    Egypt,    and    Greece, 
the  transmission  of  funds   to^ie  various  lo-  the   Joint    Distribution    Committee    rendered 
calities.     After  the  severance  of  relations  be-  special  aid  to  Russian  students  at  Swiss  uni- 
tween   the   United   States  and   Germany,   the  versities,    Jewish    prisoners    of    war,    writers, 
American  State  Department  arranged  for  the  rabbis,   Turkish    refugees   in   Spain,    destitute 
transmission    of    the    funds    collected    by    the  families  of  Russian  Jews  in  France,  and  also 
American  Jewish  Relief  Committee,  the  Cen-  made    appropriations    for     Serbia,    Rumania, 
tral  Committee,  and  the  People's  Committee,  Bulgaria,  lunis,  Algiers,  and  Morocco, 
and   paid   into   the   Joint    Distribution    Com- 
mittee,   through    the    Dutch    ambassador    at  money  and  food  and  medicine 
Washington,   to   her   Majesty,   the  Queen   of 

the   Netherlands.      The    Dutch   Government,  In  almost  every  instance,  the  Joint  Distri- 

on  receipt  of  the  funds,  transmitted  them  as  bution  Committee  extended  the  aid  of  Ameri- 

apportioned    to    its   diplomatic   representatives  can    Jewry    by    the    transmission    of    money, 

,in    the    different    countries,    who    turned    the  which  was  used  according  to  the  discretion  of 

Imoney   over   to   the   local   committees   of   the  its  agents  abroad.     There  were,  however,  sev- 

'Joint  Distribution   Committee,  in  each  coun-  eral  departures  from  this  practice.     Thus,  in 

itr\',  in  the  amounts  for  each  city  and  town  as  March,  191 5,  nine  hundred  tons  of  provisions 

fixed  by  the  Committee  of  Dutch  Jews  that  were  purchased,  and,  through  the  courtesy  of 

had  been  created  for  that  purpose.     Mr.  Fred-  the  Navy  Department,  were  sent  on  the  U.  S. 

erick   Solomon  Van  Nierop,  president  of  the  collier    Vulcan    to    Palestine.    In    February, 

Amsterdamsche    Bank,    was   chairman   of   the  191 6,  a  consignment  of  drugs  and  other  medi- 

committee.  cal  supplies,  purchased  at  a  cost  of  $15,944.37, 

The  situation  of  the  Russian  Jews  was  du-  was  sent   to   Palestine   on   the   U.    S.   collier 

plicated   in  the  case  of  the  Jews  of  Galicia.  Sterling. 

This  province  of  the  Austro-Hungarian  Em-  About  a  month   after  the  outbreak  of  tlic 

pire  was  invaded   by  Russia  at  the  very  be-  war  there  was  organized  by  Miss  Harriet  B. 

ginning  of  the  war,  and  was  for  some  time  in  Lowenstein   a  temporary   bureau   for  the   re- 

the  hands  of  the  Russian  forces.      Hundreds  ceipt  of  sums  which  individuals  might  desire 

of    thousands    of   the    inhabitants   of   Galicia,  to  remit  to  relatives  in  the  belligerent  coun- 

most  of  them  Jews,  fled  from  their  homes  in  tries.     This  work  was  taken  over  by  the  Joint 

Hungary,    Bohemia,    Moravia,    and    Austria.  Distribution  Committee  upon  its  organization. 

The   Austrian    Government    made    efforts   to  Through    the    transmission    bureau    a    great 

care  for  these  fugitives,  placing  them  in  con-  many  persons  who  wanted  to  send   funds  to 

centration    camps    and    appropriating    money  designated  persons  in  the  belligerent  countries 

for  their  maintenance;   but  the  greater  mass  were  enabled  to  do  so  w'ithout  charge.     This 

of  the  Jews  were  unable  to  leave  their  homes,  bureau   is  still   in   operation,   its  offices  being 

These  had  to  be  relieved  by  private  agencies,  at   98    Second   Avenue,    New   York.      It   has 

and  the  work  was  undertaken  by  the  Israel-  come  to  be  one  of  the  most  useful  arms  of  the 

itische   Allianz   of   Vienna,    whicli    organized  Jewish  relief  machine,  by  virtue  of  the  fact 

committees  in  all  large  centers,  that  organiza-  that,  with  international  banking  facilities  still 

tion  being  selected  by   the  Joint   Distribution  in  a  chaotic  state,  it  affords  the  one  sure  chan- 

Committee  as  its  agent  for  Austria-Hungary  iiel  through  which  individuals  here  may  remit 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


359 


funds  to  friends  or  relatives  in  the  affected  dis- 
tricts of  eastern  Europe.  The  service  is  free, 
and  the  remittances  now  aggregate  many  thou- 
sand dollars  every  week. 

The  magnitude  of  the  task  undertaken  by 
the  Jews  of  America,  together  with  the  many 
shades  of  opinion  among  them,  made  it  not 
unnatural  that  there  should  early  have  arisen 
differences  of  viewpoint  as  to  the  instrumen- 
talities through  which  relief  to  the  stricken 
in  Europe  was  distributed,  as  well  as  the 
methods  by  which  it  was  administered.  As 
early  as  May,  1916,  the  sending  abroad  of 
a  commission  was  taken  under  consideration, 
and    at    a    meeting   held   on    June    20th,    the 


war-zones  would  bring  home  to  the  public 
in  America  a  more  vi\  id  realization  of  the 
dut;es  of  the  Jews  in  America  toward  their 
suffering  co-religionists  in  Russia  and  Austria. 
The  Joint  Distribution  Committee  was  like- 
wise desirous  of  having  the  relief  funds  com- 
ing from  America  distributed  under  the  su- 
pervision of  its  own  representatives  abroad. 
The  commission  was  also  instructed  to  look 
into  the  differences  of  opinion  that  had  arisen 
in  so  extended  a  work  in  so  many  different 
places,  undertaken  by  so  many  different  kinds 
of  people,  particularly  as  to  those  parts  of 
Poland  and  Lithuania  which  were  at  this  time 
under  German  occupation. 


The  Last  of  the  Romanoff  Rulers 


(j;)     bioi^n  Bros. 


The    Czar    of    Russia    was    interested    in    the    Red    Cross    work    of    his    country    before    he    lost 

his  throne. 


commission  referred  to  above  was  created  for 
the  purpose  not  only  of  making  an  investiga- 
tion into  what  had  been  done,  but  also  of 
formulating  a  system  for  the  conduct  of  re- 
lief administration  in  the  future.  It  was 
intended  that  the  commission  should  be  sent 
to  Russia,  Germany,  and  Austria,  in  order 
to  obtain  an  accounting,  at  first  hand,  of  the 
very  large  sums  that  had  been  sent  by  the 
Jews  of  America  for  the  relief  of  the  suffer- 
ing Jews  in  the  war-zones.  Reports  had  been 
received  showing  that  the  funds  had  been  ef- 
ficiently distributed,  but  it  was  felt  that  a 
personal  inspection  should  be  made,  in  view 
of  the  large  responsibilities  resting  upon  the 
relief  committees  in  America  who  were  so- 
liciting such  great  sums  from  the  public.  It 
was  also  thought  that  a  personal  visit  to  the 


ANOTHER    COMMISSION    TO    EUROPE 

It  had  been  alleged  that  the  German  Ju- 
disches  Hilfskomite  fiir  Polen,  which  was  in 
charge  of  the  distribution  in  Poland  and  other 
parts  occupied  by  Germany,  was  not  suffi- 
ciently in  sympathy  with  the  Jews  to  whom  it 
was  administering  help.  As  evidence  of  this 
lack  of  sympathy,  it  was  said  that  some  of 
the  leaders  of  the  Komite  were  advocating  a 
so-called  "Grenzsperre" — or  the  restriction  of 
the  immigration  of  Polish  Jews  into  German 
territory.  The  fear  was  also  expressed  that, 
in  the  event  of  the  Russian  Government's  re- 
gaining possession  of  the  conquered  Polish 
territory,  Jews  who  had  accepted  aid  from 
"the  enemy"  would  be  in  great  danger  be- 
cause  this   acceptance   might   be   construed   as 


36o 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


being    in    the   nature    of    a    reward    for    past 
treasons. 

In  view  of  these  and  other  considerations, 
the  Joint  Distribution  Committee,  in  the 
summer  of  19 16,  decided  "to  send  to  Europe 
a  Commission  of  American  citizens  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  arrangements  for  the  distribution  of 
American  relief  funds  in  the  occupied  dis- 
tricts, through  American  agencies."  Two 
classes  of  members  of  the  Commission  were 
appointed — "Observing  Members,"  selected 
from  each  of  the  constituent  committees,  and 
"Executive  Members,"  the  latter  being  ex- 
pected to  stay  in  Europe  for  an  indefinite  pe- 
riod to  supervise  the  work  of  the  local  distri- 
bution committees.  The  "Observing  Mem- 
bers" of  the  Commission  were  Dr.  J.  L.  Mag- 
nes,  chairman;  Samson  Abel,  Rabbi  Bernard 
Abramowitz,  Jacob  Panken,  and  Alexander 
Dushkin,  secretary.  Dr.  Boris  Bogen  and 
Mr.  Jacob  Billikopf  were  the  "Executive 
Members."  The  German  Government  de- 
clined, however,  to  permit  most  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Commission  to  enter  Germany,  so 
that  finally  Dr.  Magnes,  chairman,  and  Mr. 
Dushkin,  secretary,  went  alone,  none  of  the 
others  leaving  this  country. 

The  task  outlined  by  the  Joint  Distribu- 
tion Committee  for  the  Commission  was,  in 
the  language  of  the  Committee's  authorizing 
resolution : 

1.  To  arrange  to  have  all  American  Jew- 
ish relief  moneys  distributed  under  the  gen- 
eral supervision  of  the  executive  members  of 
the  Relief  Commission. 

2.  To  arrange  to  have  all  American  Jewish 
relief  moneys  distributed  only  through  com- 
mittees in  the  occupied  districts,  to  be  known 
as  Committees  of  the  American  Jewish  re- 
lief funds,  such  committees  to  make  their  re- 
ports to  the  Executive  Members  of  the  Com- 
mission, who  shall,  in  turn,  transmit  these 
reports  through  the  American  Embassies  to 
America. 

3.  The  consent  and  cooperation  of  the 
military  authorities  of  occupied  districts  being 
essential  in  carrying  out  such  a  plan,  the  Com- 
mission was  to  endeavor  to  secure  such  con- 
sent and  cooperation  through  officials  of 
the  American  Government. 

4.  In  case  the  advice  and  cooperation  of 
the    Jewish    citizens    of    the    respective    coun- 


tries were  essential  in  securing  the  carrying 
out  of  the  purposes  as  above  outlined,  the 
commissioners  shall  be  free  to  secure  such  ad- 
vice and  cooperation. 

5.  Furthermore,  in  the  formation  of  com- 
mittees for  the  distribution  of  American  Jew- 
ish relief  funds,  representatives  of  all  ele- 
ments of  the  Jewish  population  of  the  various 
localities  shall  be  included. 

6.  The  local  relief  work  shall  be  under 
the  auspices  of  the  local  committees,  in  ac- 
cordance with  plans  which  are  to  be  worked 
out  by  the  local  committees,  but  under  the 
general  supervision  of  the  executive  mem- 
bers. 

7.  The  Commission  was  instructed  that 
the  committees  in  the  larger  localities  shall 
be  consulted  as  to  the  personnel  of  the  com- 
mittees in  the  smaller  localities,  and  they  shall 
be  guided  by  their  advice. 

Dr.  Magnes  and  Mr.  Dushkin  left  the 
United  States  on  July  26,  19 16,  and  after 
short  stays  at  Stockholm  and  Copenhagen, 
during  which  an  ineffectual  attempt  was  made 
to  secure  permission  to  enter  Russia  proper, 
they  proceeded  to  Germany  and  visited  War- 
saw, Radzimin,  Vilna,  Kovno,  Lodz,  Lublin, 
Lemberg,  and  Vienna.  Dr.  Magnes  investi- 
gated the  charge  against  the  leaders  of  the 
Hilfskomite  fiir  Polen,  as  to  their  having, 
advocated  a  "Grenzsperre,"  and  found  it 
baseless.  So  also  was  found  to  be  the  fear 
that  Russian  Jews,  then  under  German  rule, 
would  be  in  danger  of  being  punished  for  re- 
ceiving aid  at  the  hands  of  German  subjects. 
Further  investigations  led  Dr.  Magnes  to 
conclude  that  "if  the  work  of  Jewish  relief 
was  to  be  continued  in  Poland  and  Lithuania,, 
it  was  possible  only  if  there  were  a  strong 
Jewish  committee  in  Berlin  as  intermediary."' 
He,  moreover,  reported  that  the  existing 
Hilfskomite  had  been  efficient  and  had  con- 
sistently refrained  from  unduly  dictating  td 
local   relief   committees. 

The  territory  under  German  occupation 
was  divided  into  two  administrative  districts: 
( I )  "General  Gouvernement  Warschau," 
comprising  the  provinces  formerly  constitut- 
ing the  grand  duchy  of  Poland,  viz. :  Grodno,. 
Warsaw,  Kalisch,  Plotzk,  Minsk,  Lomza, 
Lukov,  Siedlec,  Petrikov;  and  (2)  the  "Ober- 
Ost,"  comprising  the  conquered  parts  of 
Courland,  Vilna,  Suvalki,  Grodno,  and  Bial- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


361 


International    Film    Service. 


Safety  First  From  Air  Raids 


A    great   number    of    casualties    among   children  were  the  direct  result  of  air  raids  on  London. 
When  the  alarm  was  sounded,  children  hurried   into  cellars,  or  if  the  time  did  not  permit,  dropped 

to  the  floor  to  avoid  flying  splinters. 


istok.  In  the  Ober-Ost,  the  government  had 
forbidden  sectarian  relief  activity.  Relief 
funds  there  were  to  pass  through  the  hands 
of  the  civil  administrator  and  be  distributed 
through  his  subordinates. 

IN  RUSSIAN   POLAND 

The  situation  was  different  in  Russian 
Poland.  During  the  periods  of  invasion, 
while  actual  war  was  being  waged  in  Po- 
land, the  Jewish  population  was  exposed  to 
the  same  devastating  calamities  as  were  the 
non-Jews,  and  the  destruction  of  Jewish  life 
and  property  was  by  no  means  disproportion- 
ately small.  With  German  occupation  of  the 
territory,  the  sufferings  of  the  Jews  in  Po- 
land had  become  mainly  economic  in  char- 
acter, their  distress  being  due  to  the  scarcity 
of  food,  clothing,  and  raw  materials  prevail- 
ing throughout  the  German  and  Austro-Hun- 
garian  Empires.  As  a  result,  especially  of 
the  lack  of  capital  and  raw"  materials,  large 


masses  of  the  population  were  unable  to  earn 
money  wherewith  to  buy  what  little  food 
and  clothing  were  available. 

The  resulting  situation  was  concretely  set 
forth  by  Mr.  Dushkin,  the  secretary,  in  a 
separate  report,  based  on  information  received 
from  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  Jewish 
communities.  Briefly  summarized,  his  re- 
sume of  March,  191 7,  showed  the  following 
state  of  affairs: 

( 1 )  Jewish  population  of  territory. — 
There  were  over  235,000  Jews  in  Ober-Ost 
and  about  930,000  in  General  Gouvernement 
Warschau,  making  a  total  of  1,165,000.  Of 
the  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  communi- 
ties investigated,  one  hundred  and  sixty-five, 
or  over  70  per  cent.,  had  a  Jewish  population 
of  less  than  3,000,  and  one  hundred  and 
ninety-four,  or  more  than  87  per  cent.,  had 
a  Jewish  population  of  5,000,  or  less. 

(2)  Number  of  dependents. — In  the  ma- 
jority of  the  communities  from  33  per  cent, 
to  90  per  cent,  of  the  Jews  were  dependent 


362 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


upon  relief  agencies.  In  fifty-three  of  the 
centers,  from  50  per  cent,  to  75  per  cent,  of 
the  Jews  were  not  self-supporting,  and  were  in 
need  of  relief.  The  average  for  the  larger 
cities  was  about  36  per  cent,  who  required 
aid.  In  the  entire  territory  about  one-half 
million  Jews  depended  for  the  daily  necessi- 
ties of  life  upon  the  funds  from  America. 

(3)  Amounts  distributed. — According  to 
a  report  from  the  Hilfskomite,  the  total  sum 
distributed  in  Poland  up  to  April,  191 6,  was 


lief  or  for  the  care  of  the  poor,  such  as  poor- 
houses,  loan-funds,  provision-stores,  where 
food  was  sold  at  a  fraction  of  its  cost,  rent- 
aid,  and  gratuitous  distributions  of  food, 
clothing,  fuel,  and  money;  forty-eight  com- 
munities had  agencies  which  cared  for  the 
sick;  forty-three  had  eleemosynary  institu- 
tions for  children,  such  as  schools  (in  which 
the  children  were  also  fed),  orphan  asylums, 
infant  asylums,  etc. ;  twenty-nine  reported 
having  shelters  for  refugees;  fifteen  had  asy- 


Russian  Red  Cross  Nurses 


©     Underxvood  and   Underivood. 


Who    traveled    through   Germany,    gathered   Russian  crippled   prisoners   of   war    and   had   them 
exchanged  for  German  prisoners  of  war  via  Torneo  on  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  on  the  Swedish-Rus- 
sian border. 


2,500,000  marks  for  the  two  hundred  and 
thirty-four  communities  reporting.  The  per- 
capita  amount  was  about  one  and  one-third 
marks  monthly.  In  other  words,  the  rela- 
tively large  sums  contributed  by  American 
Jewry  sufficed  to  give  less  than  one  cent 
a  day  to  each  needy  Jew  in  Poland. 

(4)  Purposes  for  which  funds  were  spent. 
— An  idea  of  the  diversity  of  the  means 
adopted  to  give  relief  may  be  obtained  from 
the  following  figures:  Sixty-two  communi- 
ties established  so-called  Volkskuche  or  "Com- 
munity Kitchens";  sixty-one  had  institutions 
of  one  kind  or  another  for  distribution  of  re- 


lums  for  the  aged  and  the  invalids.  There 
were  also  various  miscellaneous  forms  of  re- 
lief, such  as  tea-houses,  legal-aid  associations, 
societies  for  taking  care  of  the  wives  of  ab- 
sent soldiers,  etc. 

(5)  Refugees. — There  was  also  a  special 
class  of  Jews  whose  condition  was  even  more 
wretched  than  that  of  the  rest  of  the  popula- 
tion, namely,  the  men,  women,  and  children 
who  had  been  driven  from  their  homes  be- 
cause of  evacuation  orders,  or  who  had  fled 
before  the  invader.  It  is  estimated  that  there 
were  in  occupied  Poland  over  55,000  of  this 
class,  of  whom  more  than  38,000  were  women 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


363 


and  children.  These  victims  of  the  war  were 
constantly  moving  from  place  to  place,  which 
made  it  more  than  ordinarily  difficult  to  re- 
lieve them. 

(6)  Other  forms  of  relief. — Besides  ex- 
tending relief  as  outlined  above,  the  Hilfsko- 
mite  engaged  in  a  number  of  auxiliary  activi- 
ties, the  chief  of  which  were  the  securing  of 
information  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  friends 
and  relatives  in  Poland,  in  reply  to  inquiries 


ture  of  "dead,  dull,  and  voiceless  misery"  to 
be  found  in  the  latter.  The  main  problem 
in  Russia  was  the  relief  of  the  million  Jews 
who  were  expelled  or  who  fled  from  their 
homes  in  Poland,  many  of  them  being  set 
down  in  interior  provinces,  which  had  hither- 
to contained  very  few  if  any  Jews.  It  was 
the  task  of  the  Central  Jewish  Relief  Com- 
mittee in  Petrograd  to  come  to  the  rescue  of 
these    unfortunates    from    the    time    they   left 


Underzi'ood  and  Underzvood. 


Scene  in  a  Russian  Hospital 

A  Cossack  officer  wounded   in   the  mouth   by  a  Uhlan's  lance. 


from  persons  in  America,  the  transmission  of 
appeals  for  help  from  the  people  in  Poland 
to  their  relatives  in  this  country,  the  locating 
of  Russian-Jewish  prisoners  of  war,  and  the 
general  exchange  of  letters  between  individ- 
uals in  America  and  others  in  Poland. 

DEAD,   DULL,   VOICELESS   MISERY 

Measured  by  the  number  of  persons  in 
need  of  assistance,  unconquered  Russia  proved 
almost  as  important  as  did  occupied  Poland. 
The  situation  in  the  former,  however,  had 
several   elements   of  hope   lacking   in   the  nic- 


their  homes  until  they  were  able  to  maintain 
themselves  independently'.  For  them  it  was 
necessary  to  provide  clothing,  food,  transpor- 
tation, work,  tools,  and  shelter.  In  other 
words,  here  were  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
emigrants,  absolutely  without  means,  who  had 
to  be  assisted  to  build  up  an  entirely  new  ex- 
istence in  strange  surroundings,  often  among 
people  whose  language  they  could  neither 
speak  nor  understand.  It  was  variously  esti- 
mated that,  in  all,  between  750,000  and 
1,250,000  Jewish  refugees  were  spread  over 
Russia  and  southern  Siberia. 

The  work  of  aiding  the  sufferers  was  done 


HELP    IN    MANY    FORMS 


364  THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 

by  the  Jewish  Committee  for  the  Relief  of  about  12,000  Jews  who,  fleeing  from  Syria 
Sufferers  from  the  War,  with  headquarters  and  Palestine,  had  taken  refuge  in  Alexandria, 
in  Petrograd.  The  activity  of  this  organiza-  Egypt;  (g)  money  was  distributed  through 
tion  was  at  first  centered  on  succoring  the  the  American  consul  at  Moscow  to  Jewish 
Jews  in  Poland,  but  with  the  conquest  of  that  w  ar  prisoners  in  the  Kazan  district.  It  must 
region  by  Germany,  the  Committee  was  be  remembered  that  there  were  two  kinds  of 
obliged  to  leave  the  Polish  situation  in  the  care  prisoners  in  Russia:  (i)  military  prisoners 
of  the  Hilfskomite,  and  to  devote  its  attention  confined  \\  ithin  prison  walls  and  capturea 
to  the  many  thousands  of  refugees  who  had  soldiers,  and  (2)  civilians  who  w-ere  not  con- 
gone  into  the  interior  provinces.  The  Petro-  fined  in  prison,  but  were  limited  to  circum- 
grad  Committee  was  helped  in  its  work  by  a  scribed  areas,  being  meanwhile  compelled  to 
number  of  territorial  committees  in  the  larger  earn  their  own  living, 
cities,  such  as  Moscow,  Kharkov,  Kiev,  and 
Odessa.  This  Committee  and  the  territorial 
committees  acted  through  local  bodies,  the 
organization  and  supervision  of  which  were  Relief  to  the  refugees  was  extended  as  fol- 
undertaken  by  experts  employed  by  the  Cen-  lows: 

tral  and  territorial  organizations.     Assistance  (1)   Grants    of    money. — In     many    cases 

w-as  rendered  to  the  relief  committees  by  sev-  where  food  and  other  necessaries  were  avail- 

eral  large  Jewish  organizations  that  had  ex-  able,    money    was    given    to    the    refugees    in 

isted    before    the    war,    and    which,    upon    its  amounts  ranging  from  ten  to  twenty  kopeks  a 

outbreak,  devoted  themselves  with  increasing  day  per  person. 

vigor  to  the  pursuit  of  their  benevolent  aims.  (2)    Food    supply. — To   enable   those   who 
The    most   important   of    these   organizations  were    receiving   these    small    subsidies    to    get 
were:     (i)    The   Society   for   Preserving  the  the  best  values  for  their  money,  and  to  sup- 
Health  of  the  Jewish  Population,  which  had  ply   others   with   food,   the   Committee   estab- 
a  chain  of  subsidiaries  in  the  provinces,  and  lished  supply  warehouses  where  food  was  sold 
which  extended  medical  and  sanitary  service  at  cost  to  those  who  had  funds,  or  was  sup- 
and  provided  homes  for  the  children  of  refu-  plied    free   of   charge    to    those   who   had    no 
gees;    (2)    the   Society   for   Agricultural   and  money  at  all.     It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
Industrial    Work    among    Jews,    which    had  it   was    almost    impossible    to    purchase    shoes 
established  numerous  branches  and  was  help-  and  clothing  in  Russia  or  Poland  during  the 
ing  refugees  to  find  employment  and  teaching  war  and  that  large  quantities  of  these  had  to 
them  trades;    (3)    the  Society  for  Spreading  be  supplied  to  these  refugees  and  prisoners. 
Education    among    the    Jews,    which    looked  (3)    Shelter    and    fuel. — Spread   over   such 
after  their  educational  and  cultural  needs.  an    enormous    territory,    abandoned    in   waste 
During  the  first  year  of  the  war,  through  places,   as   the   exiles  were,   the   new  housing 
the   united   efforts   of    all   these   agencies    the  of  all  these  refugees  presented  an  almost  in- 
following  work  was   accomplished:    (a)    Re-  soluble  problem.    Wherever  possible,  the  pub- 
lief  was  extended  to  the  Jewish  population  in  He  buildings  available,  such  as  synagogues  and 
the  Kingdom  of  Poland,  mainly  in  the  gov-  schools,  were  used  as  shelters,  while  thousands 
ernment  of  Warsaw;    (b)    aid  was  given   in  were    for    the    time    being   placed    in    private 
the    distribution    of    refugees    who    had    been  houses.     But  hundreds  of  temporary  quarters 
forcibly    expelled    from    the    governments    of  had   to   be   hastily   erected,    and   hundreds   of 
Suvalki,    Courland,    and    Kovno ;    (c)    assist-  thousands   of   homeless   refugees   were   forced 
ance  was   afforded    to   Jews,   when    the   civil  to    inhabit   these   flimsy   buildings    under   un- 
population  was  forced   to  evacuate  points  in  speakably   unsanitary   conditions.      Every   one 
the  governments  of  Grodno,   Vilna,   Dvinsk,  of  the  buildings  entailed  an  immense  expense 
Plotzk,  and  Minsk,  just  prior  to  their  capture  for   heating   alone,   owing   to   the    high    price 
by  the  enemy;  (d)  help  was  extended  to  refu-  of  fuel,  since  all  of  them  had  to  be  warmed 
gees  in  their  new  settlements;  (e)   relief  was  during  the  greater  portion  of  the  year, 
extended  to  the  Jews  of  Galicia  after  its  con-  (4)    Employment. — The  society  for  Indus- 
quest  by  Russia;   (f)   assistance  was  given  to  trial  and  Agricultural  Labor  among  the  Jews 


1 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


365 


endeavored  to  grapple  with  the  problem  of 
finding  work  and  devising  trade  and  indus- 
trial occupations  for  the  refugees.  This  so- 
ciety had  created  and  maintained  an  employ- 
ment agency  which  served  to  connect  em- 
ployers in  want  of  help  with  refugees  who 
were  capable  of  performing  the  work  called 
for.  It  initiated  shops  in  which  shoes,  linen 
and  cloth  goods  and  knitted  articles  were 
manufactured;  it  organized  manual  training 
classes  for  boys  and  adults  who,  though  able 
to  work,  had  not  been  accustomed  to  physical 


traveling  medical  units  which  followed  the 
refugees  and  gave  them  sanitary  attention  and 
food.  The  society  paid  special  attention  to 
preserving  the  health  of  the  children,  open- 
ing shelters  for  more  than  8,000.  In  a  num- 
ber of  places  it  had  subsidized  local  organiza- 
tions which  cared  for  those  orphaned  by  the 
war. 

(6)  Information  bureau. — This  depart- 
ment was  engaged  in  collecting  information, 
inquiries  coming  from  all  parts  of  Russia,  as 
well     as     from     other     countries,     including 


>Ar5--ff-ix=.- 


Turks  Preparing  the  Foundation  for  Hospital  Tents 

German  well-diggers  were  sent  in  advance  to  dig  for  water  in  the  desert. 


Bros. 


labor,  and  also  instituted  shelters  for  young 
boys  who  were  too  old  to  be  sent  to  elemen- 
tary schools,  and  had  been  apprenticed  at 
various  kinds  of  trades,  besides  providing 
tools,  instruments,  and  materials  requisite  for 
persons  who  desired  to  establish  themselves 
independently  in  their  new  settlements. 

(5)  Sanitary  and  medical  service. — The 
problem  of  sanitary  service  to  children  was 
solved  by  the  Society  for  Preserving  the 
Health  of  the  Jewish  Population,  which  had 
extended  its  activities  throughout  the  govern- 
ments affected  by  the  distribution  of  Jewish 
refugees.  It  had  organized  a  number  of  units 
consisting  of  physicians  and  nurses,  and  dur- 
ing the  transportation  of  the  refugees,  it  had 


America,  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  refugees, 
friends,  and  relatives. 

(7)  Individual  help. — Among  the  refugees 
there  were  certain  classes,  rabbis  and  other 
persons  of  the  learned  professions,  who 
merited  particular  attention  and  confidence, 
and  to  whom  it  appeared  essential  that  spe- 
cial consideration  should  be  granted. 

TURKEY  AXD  THE  JEWS 

The  economic  crises  caused  by  the  out- 
break of  hostilities  were  intensified  when 
Turkey  entered  the  war,  18,000  Jews  being 
thereupon  compelled  to  leave  the  Holy  Land. 
At  first  it  was  thought  that  the  trouble  would 


366 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


not  last  more  than  a  few  months,  and  local 
relief  committees  were  accordingly  organized. 
But  it  soon  appeared  tiiat  the  Vaads  (com- 
mittees) could  not  cope  with  the  situation. 
Bread,  flour,  and  other  food  were  distributed 
to  the  needy,  public  kitchens  were  established, 
tea-rooms  opened,  and  loans  granted  to  cer- 
tain institutions  and  also  to  private  individu- 
als who  were  deprived  of  the  money  that  had 
flowed  to  the  Holy  Land  prior  to  the  con- 
flict. But  early  in  the  war  a  bread  famine 
was  threatened,  mainly  on  account  of  tiie 
heavy  military  requisitions.  A  few  well-to- 
do  men  organized  the  Vaad  Hakcmach 
(Flour  Committee)  and,  buying  up  flour 
throughout  the  country,  had  it  milled  and 
placed  on  sale  at  fifty  or  sixty  cents  per  bag 
below  the  market  price.  Later,  with  the  aid 
of  American  relief  funds,  several  shops  were 
opened  in  Jaffa  for  the  sale  of  food  and  pe- 
troleum at  cost.  But  all  the  shops  suffered 
from  the  heavy  military  requisitions,  so  that 
by  May,  191 5,  their  supplies  were  exhausted. 

THE    consul's    report 

Otis  A.  Glazebrook,  United  States  consul, 
in  a  report  received  June  28th,  19 17,  al- 
though dated  Jerusalem,  July  21,  19 16,  says 
that  the  actual  Jewish  population  of  Pales- 
tine, at  that  time,  was  about  82,000.  Of 
this  number  only  18,000  were  able  to  main- 
tain themselves  without  applying  to  the  com- 
mittees in  charge  of  the  distribution  of  the 
money  from  America.  Attached  to  Mr. 
Glazebrook's  report  was  that  of  the  Jerusa- 
lem branch  of  the  Jewish  American  Joint 
Distribution  Committee,  which  went  very 
fully  into  the  causes  of  the  distress  prevail- 
ing in  the  Holy  Land.  "Jerusalem  has  al- 
ways been,  even  in  normal  times,"  reads  the 
report,  "rich  in  its  poor  population,  living 
upon  the  charity  of  our  brethern  abroad. 
How  much  is  this  the  case  now,  when  all 
sources  of  income,  which  used  to  flow  from 
all  ends  of  the  world  to  the  Holy  City,  to 
each  of  her  communities,  of  her  institutions, 
and  her  kolels.  are  stopped  and  replaced  by 
the  only  possible  remittances,  which  are  the 
remittances  from  the  Joint  Distribution  Com- 
mittee. No  wonder  then  that  the  disinherited 
ones  have  been  looking  to  the  American  re- 
lief as  their  only  bright  star." 


The  report  also  deals  with  the  method  of 
relieving  the  suffering  of  the  people  by  weekly 
doles  of  money,  occasional  grants,  assistance 
to  the  sick,  loans  granted  to  employers  in 
order  that  wages  might  continue  to  be  paid 
to  the  working  class,  while  a  large  part  of 
the  funds  was  used  for  the  purchase  of  food 
^\■hich  was  distributed  either  free  or  at  re- 
duced prices,  or  given  to  various  institutions. 
Regarding  the  latter  the  report  says:  "Be- 
sides the  asylums,  whose  precarious  financial 
condition  was  known  to  us,  there  have  been 
assisted  by  us,  chiefly  with  flour,  a  number  of 
other  institutions.  In  this  category  we 
reckon  the  Insane  Asylum,  40  patients;  the 
girl's  Orphan  Asylum,  80  pupils;  the  Ash- 
kenazi  Aged  Asylum,  about  200  old  people; 
the  Sefardi  Aged  Asylum,  15  people;  and  the 
Sefardi  Soup  Kitchen  for  Sabbath  days  grant- 
ing meals  to  about  1,000  people.  This  last 
was  closed  lately  for  lack  of  means  of  sub- 
sistence." 

No  part  of  Palestine,  including  the  colo- 
nies, W'as  omitted  from  the  general  distribu- 
tion of  relief  by  the  various  committees  in 
charge  of  this  work,  all  of  which  was  excel- 
lently supervised  by  Mr.  Glazebrook,  consul 
at  Jerusalem,  and  Mr.  H.  Stanley  Hollis, 
consul  at  Beyrouth.  The  declaration  of  war 
prevented  the  bringing  out  from  Palestine  of 
the  wives  and  children  of  a  large  number  of 
United  States  citizens,  who  had  requested  the 
Joint  Distribution  Committee  to  make  the 
necessary  arrangements.  The  Naval  and 
State  Departments  had  given  every  possible 
assistance.  For  the  continuance  of  relief  in 
Palestine,  arrangements  similar  to  those  in 
Poland  were  made,  except  that  the  Dutch 
Government  appointed  Mr.  S.  Hoofien,  the 
director  of  the  Anglo-Palestinian  Bank,  as 
its  special  representative,  for  the  purpose  of 
replacing  in  Palestine  the  United  States  con- 
suls in  the  handling  of  the  Jewish  relief  funds 
sent  from  America. 

Mr.  Hoofien  bears  witness  to  the  effective- 
ness of  the  work  in  Jerusalem  as  follows : 

"The  previous  administration  had  spent  its 
funds  mainly  on  two  large  branches  started 
by  it:  the  distribution  of  bread  to  the  school- 
children, orphans  and  institutions;  and  a  peri- 
odical general  money  distribution  to  all  the 
poor.  This  bread  distribution  is  without  any 
doubt  the  most  useful  thing  which  any  relief 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


367 


administration  has  undertaken  during  the 
war.  I  firmly  believe  that  it  has  saved  thou- 
sands of  children's  lives.  I  found  it  fairly 
well  organized  when  I  entered  the  adminis- 
tration and  all  I  have  done  is  to  continue  to 
organize  it.  It  will  remain  a  lasting  credit 
to  those  who  have  started  it. 

"We  supplied  all  the  charitable  institutions 
with  a  daily  portion  of  two  okes  of  bread 
(480  grams)  for  all  their  inmates,  and  with 
pecuniary  support  according  to  necessity. 

"Most  of  the  institutions  only  subsisted 
thanks  to  this  support.     So  the  American  Re- 


"From  the  outset,  foremost  among  these 
institutions  was,  of  course,  the  American  Re- 
lief Fund,  and  in  the  course  of  time  the  sub- 
sidy of  the  American  Relief  Fund  became 
nearly  the  only  source  of  income  of  the  Medi- 
cal Help  Committee,  so  that  the  latter  may 
well  be  considered  as  a  branch  of  the  relief 
fund.  In  the  course  of  April,  1918,  the 
whole  Medical  Help  Committee  was  reor- 
ganized and  medical  help  became,  formally, 
as  it  had  been  de  facto,  a  branch  of  the  relief 
fund  activity.  In  this  way  it  continued,  pend- 
ing   the    arrival    of    the    American    Medical 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 

Replenishing  Russia's  Depleted  Iodine  Supply 

With  the  great   scarcity   of   medicine   the    Russians    resorted   to   crude   ways   of  making   iodine   by 

drying  out  certain  vegetation. 


lief  Fund  may  justly  claim  that  nearly  the 
whole  of  Jerusalem's  charitable  system  has 
been  preserved  by  its  support  alone. 

"The  institutions,  of  course,  could  not  ex- 
pect to  live  in  luxury,  but  all  that  was  in- 
dispensable has  been  granted  to  them,  par- 
ticularly after  the  budget  became  a  little 
more  assured. 

"The  want  of  medical  help  was  very  sorely 
felt  during  the  war.  Some  of  the  Jewish 
physicians  had  left  the  country  at  the  outbreak 
of  war,  for  different  reasons,  and  some  had 
died.  The  remaining  Jewish  members  of  the 
medical  profession  therefore  created  a  Com- 
mittee for  Medical  Help  which  was  subsi- 
dized by  various  institutions. 


Unit.  The  Medical  Help  Committee  looked 
after  all  sick  people,  sent  them  doctors  and 
nurses  and  distributed,  in  all  cases  of  par- 
ticular necessity,  rations  of  milk  and  bread, 
apart  from  the  ordinary  bread  rations. 

"These  food-rations  to  the  sick  were,  in- 
deed, the  main  feature  of  our  medical  help. 
The  main  cause  of  illness  was  starvation  and 
the  most  important  medicine  was  food. 
Scores  of  times  I  was  told  by  our  doctors: 
'Give  us  bread  and  give  us  milk  and  we  are 
prepared  to  make  you  a  present  of  all  our 
drugs.  A  baby  cannot  live  on  drugs  or  even 
on  good  treatment.     It  wants  milk.' 

"We  did  what  we  could  with  the  means  in 
our  hands  and  we  have  at  any  rate  had  the 


368 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Courtesy   of  the  Red   Cross. 


A  Dispensary  Behind  the  Lines 


One  of  the  places  where  the  Red  Cross  administered  medical  treatment  to  the  children  of  the  war 
zones  who  were  injured  by  bursting  shells   or   in   some   other   manner. 


satisfaction  that  at  no  time  has  any  Jerusa- 
lem Jew  remained  without  proper  medical 
attendance." 

AMBASSADOR    MORGENTHAu's    SERVICE 

While  the  Hon.  Henry  Morgenthau  \vas 
ambassador  at  Constantinople,  many  appeals 
for  assistance  were  addressed  to  him  by  Jews 
from  all  over  Turkey.  The  number  of  Jews 
in  Turkey  outside  of  Palestine  was  about 
200,000,  one-third  of  whom  were  in  Con- 
stantinople. The  military  and  naval  opera- 
tions in  the  Dardanelles,  at  Gallipoli,  etc.,  in 
which  many  Jews  were  residents,  and  from 
which  they  either  were  driven  out  or  fled, 
brought  about  a  condition  of  abject  poverty 
among  these  unfortunates,  which  resulted  in 
the  Joint  Distribution  Committee's  sending 
large  amounts  to  the  United  States  Ambassa- 
dor to  be  distributed  under  his  direction.  In 
Constantinople  itself,  Ambassador  Morgen- 
thau  and   his  successor,   the   Hon.   Abram   I. 


Elkus,  reported  that  not  less  than  60,000 
Jews  were  absolutely  without  means  of  self- 
support.  For  their  relief  soup  kitchens  were 
established,  and  other  assistance  was  given 
through  the  aid  of  local  committees  of  Jews. 

The  usual  poverty  in  Tunis,  Algiers,  and 
Morocco  was  accentuated  by  ^\e  fact  that  all 
business  dependent  upon  visitors,  tourists,  etc., 
came  to  an  end.  Hence  the  Jews  in  these 
countries  also  received  a  small  amount  of  re- 
lief. 

The  Russian  students  and  writers,  who 
were  in  Switzerland  seeking  secular  education 
in  the  various  universities  in  that  countr)% 
found  themselves,  soon  after  the  outbreak  of 
the  war,  entirely  cut  off  from  their  usual 
sources  of  income.  Their  appeal  to  the  Joint 
Distribution  Committee  w^as  responded  to  by 
a  small  appropriation  ($6,000),  which  was 
expended  through  Mr.  H.  Conheim,  an  Amer- 
ican gentleman  who  was  in  Switzerland  at 
that  time,  and  who  generously  gave  his  assist- 
ance in  the  administration  of  this  relief  work. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


369 


Refugees  from  Turkey 

Ten  thousand  refugees  from  Turkey  were  concentrated  in  a  camp  outside  of  Salonika,  where 
they  were  maintained  by  the  Greek  government.  They  included  Greeks,  Armenians  and  others 
professing  the  Christian  faith,  who  fled  from  Turkey  to  escape  the  massacres  that  shocked  the  world. 


STRICKEN'  SERBIA 

I'lio  reports  of  the  ruin  caused  by  the  bom- 
bardment of  Belgrade  showed  that  half  of 
the  Jews  of  Serbia  were  exterminated,  so  that 
out  of  the  35,000  formerly  dwelling  in  the 
kingdom,  there  were  hardly  20,000  left.  As 
to  the  situation  of  those,  Dr.  J.  Alcalay,  Royal 
Serbian  Chief  Rabbi,  wrote  as  follows:  "Shud- 
dering in  the  dark  shadows  spread  by  the 
overwhelming  needs  of  the  great  hordes  in 
Poland,  Palestine,  Turkey,  etc.,  are  the  Serb- 
ian Jews — a  small  group  of  our  faith.  Divine 
Providence  has  ordained  that  they  shall  pass 
through  a  most  trying  ordeal.  For  the  past 
five  years  this  little  land  has  been  in  the  midst 
of  devastating  warfare,  with  the  result  that 
the  favorable  economic  situation  it  previously 
enjoyed  has  been  destroyed.  Now  barely  one- 
fourth  of  the  Jewish  inhabitants  can  support 


themselves.  Just  now  we  are  suffering  such 
famine  that  many  fathers  have  gone  abso- 
lutely insane,  agonized  by  their  inability  to 
find  food  for  their  families." 

The  following  cable  was  received  from 
Grand  Rabbi  Meir,  of  Salonika,  in  January, 
191 7:  "We  confirm  our  letter  of  November 
30th.  Economic  condition  of  the  community 
which  was  already  critical,  has  been  aggra- 
vated enormously  in  consequence  of  the  con- 
tinual arrival  of  Jewish  refugees  from  Mon- 
astir.      We   beseech    immediate   help." 

$118,000  was  sent  for  the  relief  of  the 
needy  Jews  of  Serbia  and  Greece. 

An  additional  chapter  in  the  war  charities 
of  American  Jewry  was  brought  into  being 
by  the  receipt  of  a  cable  from  Prof.  A.  S. 
Yahuda  and  Dr.  Max  Nordau,  to  the  effect 
that  over  one  thousand  Jewish  refugees  from 
Turkey   were    starving   at    Barcelona,    Spain. 


370 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


In  November,  igi6,  $4,000  was  cabled  by 
the  Joint  Distribution  Committee  to  Senor 
Angel  Puldio  in  aid  of  stranded  Jews  in  Spain. 
A  further  sum  totaling  $9,000  was  later  for- 
warded for  the  same  purposes.  Prof.  Yahuda 
and  Dr.  Nordau  wrote  that  the  refugees  were 
heartily  welcomed  in  Spain,  and  tidings  from 
the  committee  in  charge  of  the  distribution  of 
relief  in  that  country  contained  the  infonna- 
tion   that   arrangements  had  practically  been 


impulse  of  Julius  Rosenwald's  gift  of  a  mil- 
lion dollars,  or  ten  per  cent,  of  the  total  raised 
throughout  the  United  States.  This  gesture 
of  philanthropy  won  the  entire  country  and 
everywhere  local  Julius  Rosenwalds  sprang 
up  to  give  ten  per  cent,  of  what  their  com- 
munities and  states  v»'ould  raise.  This  in- 
centive and  this  inspiration,  vigorously  prosC' 
cuted  by  our  committee,  carried  the  nation 
over  the  top. 


Sick  Serbian  Peasants 

"The  Scourge  of  Serbia,"  historians  will  call  the   ruthless   sweep   of    the    Germans    into    that   poor 
*"  countrv.     Illness  and  dire  distress  followed  in  its  wake. 


perfected  v/hereby  the  refugees  would  be  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  various  Spanish  com- 
mercial centers  and  would  so  become  the  nu- 
cleus of  Jewish  communities  all  over  the  land. 

Meanwhile  the  work  of  raising  the  funds  to 
be  distributed  to  these  starving  and  homeless 
millions  continued  in  America.  The  follow- 
ing excerpt  from  a  report  by  Mr.  Jacob  Billi- 
kopf,  who  had  this  undertaking  in  hand,  re- 
ferred to  the  situation  as  follows: 

"The  problem  of  raising  funds  for  Jewish 
War  Relief  in  19 18  presented  some  difficulty. 
In    191 7   there  had   been   the  great  dramatic 


A  NEW  AND  GREATER  NEED 

"But  what  was  to  be  the  dramatic  feature 
of  th^  1 91 8  campaign?  The  need  w^as  as  great 
as  and  even  greater  than  before.  But  there 
was  lacking  some  new  vi'.  lizing,  energizing 
force  that  could  rouse  the  country.  While 
we  were  deliberating  and  in  the  midst  of  our 
anxiety,  our  committee  in  Rochester,  New 
York,  met  and  agreed  upon  a  quota  of  $75,000 
for  1918.  In  191 7  Rochester  had  raised  $35." 
615.55.  Before  the  campaign  was  over  Roch- 
ester had  pledged  for  1918  $125,000.    One  of 

VII— 24 


THE  ARMIES 

the  chief  factors  in  this  success  was  the  splen- 
did address  made  by  Mr.  Louis  Marshall: 

"With  such  a  beginning  to  encourage  us 
we  went  before  the  country  with  no  appeal 
other  than  that  of  humanity.  The  results 
were  magnificent,  a  total  of  approximately 
$13,000,000  having  been  pledged  for  the  year 
from  the  entire  country. 

"Toward  the  close  of  191 8  the  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  raising  funds  seemed  almost  in- 
superable. The  influenza  epidemic  which 
raged  violently  from  coast  to  coast,  the  na- 
tional elections,  the  Liberty  Loan  Campaign, 
the  signing  of  the  armistice,  the  United  War 
Work  Campaign,  and  the  Red  Cross  member- 
ship drive  made  our  problem  a  staggering  one. 
In  spite  of  all  these  obstacles  the  drives  proved 
most  successful. 

"In  almost  every  instance  the  allotment  was 
over-subscribed.  This  was  true  of  all  sec- 
tions of  the  country.* 

"These  were  not  exceptional  cases.  They 
were  typical  of  other  communities,  large  and 
small,  throughout  the  country.  In  addition 
to  these  splendid  subscriptions  for  1918,  Cin- 
cinnati had  already  set  aside  $300,000  for 
1919,  Rochester  $150,000,  and  Minneapolis 
$125,000.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  all 
this  was  done  without  the  dramatic  stimulus 
which  had  been  so  successful  an  incentive  the 
year  before. 

"The  entire  expense  of  maintaining  the  na- 
tional headquarters  for  all  these  campaigns 
was  about  $45,000  for  the  year  191 8,  or  one- 
half  of  one  per  cent,  of  the  amount  which  was 
raised  outside  of  New  York.  This  expense 
was  borne  anonj'mously  by  one  member  of 
the  executive  committee. 

"This  general  statement  of  the  results 
which   have   been    achieved   does   not   include 

*  This  marked  success  is  obvious  from  the  following 
table  contrasting  the  amounts  raised  in  1917  and  in  1918 
in   important  cities   from  coast  to  coast. 

1Q18  IQ17 

Rochester,    N.   Y $125,000  $35,615.55 

Kansas  City,   Mo 100,000  67.726.90 

San    Francisco.    Cal 325,000  211.895.00 

Portland.     Oregon     70.000  28,465.20 

Wilmington,     Del 140,000  40,063.00 

Atlanta,    Ga 90,000  11,325.53 

Nashville,     Tenn 40,000  12,008.35 

Baltimore.     Md 430,000  109.621.79 

Newark,    N.   J 280,000  71,145.38 

Pittsburgh.      Pa 400.000  199,970.67 

Detroit,     Mich 460.000  220,461.80 

Cincinnati.     Ohio     323.000  190,556.36 

Minneapolis,     Minn 100,000  75,361.79 

Philadelphia,     Pa 743,000  370,767.33 

Buffalo    N.  Y lafcooo  85,000.00 

New    Haven.    Conn ^.000  43,716.25 

Boston.      Mass 400,000  84,263.40 

Wheeling,  W.  Va 50,000  7,064.9s 


OF  ]\IERCY 


371 


One   of    Salonika's    Little    Sufferers 

several  immensel}'  significant  developments. 
These  developments  are  manifested  by  the 
fact  that  spirited  non-sectarian  campaigns  for 
the  Jewish  war  sufferers  have  just  been  com- 
pleted or  are  in  progress  in  half  a  dozen 
states. 

"Such  a  statement  would  have  been  im- 
possible in  191 7.  We  could  not  have  spoken 
at  all — let  alone  with  self-assurance — of  state 
campaigns  in  that  year.  In  191 7  we  con- 
ducted a  great  number  of  individual  city 
campaigns.  We  did  this  in  19 18  also.  But 
in  addition  there  was  developed  and  elabo- 
rated the  plan  of  holding  a  smaller  number 
of  more  comprehensive  drives. 

"What  is  it  that  has  made  possible  this  in- 
teresting and  important  development?  The 
fact  is  that  we  grew  into  it  almost  without  in- 
tention. It  was  the  logical  next  step  to  the 
non-sectarian  type  of  drive  which  had  been 
taking  form  early  in  the  year.   It  is  almost  im- 


372 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


possible  to  conduct  a  thorough-going  state 
drive  along  sectarian  lines,  for  the  reason  that 
the  Jewish  population  is  everywhere  central- 
ized in  cities.  The  significance  of  a  state  drive 
is  that  it  reaches  the  tovi^n,  the  village,  almost 
the  individual  farmer.  It  would  be  out  of  the 
question  to  attempt  such  a  plan,  indeed  it 
would  be  unthinkable,  on  strictly  sectarian 
lines.  Our  campaign  inevitably  became  not 
merely  sectarian,  but  humanitarian. 


Minn.,  and  a  score  of  other  cities  in  all  parts 
of  the  country  quickly  followed  the  lead  of 
Wilmington. 

"With  this  experience  in  non-sectarian  ef- 
fort we  came  to  North  Carolina.  There  the 
state  plan  germinated  and  bore  fruit  with 
astounding  speed.  It  happened  very  simply 
and  easily.  A  delegation  of  the  prominent 
Jews  of  the  state,  headed  by  Lionel  Weil  of 
Goldsboro,    called    upon    Governor    Thomas 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Ma^a~ine. 

Bread  Lines  in  Nevski  Prospect,  Petrograd 

Bread  lines  were  established  in  various  sections  of  the  city.     If  disappointed  at  one,  people  might  be 

seen  flocking  to  another. 


THE   CAMPAIGN    IN   THE   CITIES 

"The  non-sectarian  movement  began  with 
city  campaigns  early  in  the  year.  Wilming- 
ton, Delaware,  was  the  classic  example.  It 
was  at  Wilmington  that  Senator  Willard 
Saulsbury  expressed  the  new  spirit  when  he 
said :  'This  is  not  only  a  Jewish  movement ; 
it  is  a  human  movement.  It  will  clothe  where 
clothing  is  needed  and  feed  where  feeding  is 
necessary;  it  will  go  wherever  the  cry  of  hu- 
manity calls  it.  It  is  of  human  beings,  for 
human  beings  and  by  human  beings.' 

"Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Newark,  N.  J.,  Duluth, 


Walter  Bickett  at  Raleigh  with  a  request  that 
he  by  proclamation  set  aside  a  certain  day 
for  the  Jewish  war  sufferers  throughout  North 
Carolina.  He  gladly  agreed  to  do  so.  With 
the  impetus  of  his  proclamation  and  supple- 
mentary proclamations  by  mayors  all  through 
the  state,  committees  of  Jews  and  non-Jews 
were  quickly  organized  in  ever)'  city  and  coun- 
ty, in  every  hamlet  almost,  and  from  that  time 
until  the  drive  was  over  North  Carolina  rang 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Jewish  War  Relief 
Campaign.  This  plan  has  since  been  used 
with  certain  elaborations  and  improvements 
in    Mississippi,    West    Virginia,    North    Da- 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


373 


kota,  Georgia,  and  it  is  in  use  at  this  writing 
in  Louisiana,  Kansas,  Iowa,  and  Arizona. 

"The  returns  in  terms  of  money  speak  for 
themselves  as  to  the  value  of  the  'North  Caro- 
lina plan,'  as  we  call  it.  The  following  is  a 
brief  list  contrasting  the  sums  raised  in  1917 
and  1918: 

1918  1917 

North    Carolina.  ,.  .$150,000  $31,015.40 

Mississippi     1 10,000  16,664.67 

West   Virginia    ..:.   225,000  20,130.26 

North  Dakota 60,000  12,222.94 

Georgia    175,000  40,236.74 

"Nothing  further  need  be  said  about  the 
value  in  terms  of  money  of  these  state  cam- 


enhancement  of  the  position  and  prestige  of 
the  local  Jewry.  Newspaper  comment  in  con- 
nection with  the  drive  invariably  emphasizes 
the  contributions  made  by  the  Jews  to  an- 
cient, modern,  and  contemporary  civilization, 
and  the  atmosphere,  which  may  have  been  in- 
different or  hostile,  becomes  exceedingly 
friendly.  Prejudicial  barriers  have  been  un- 
able to  resist  appeals  in  the  name  of  human- 
ity. Illustrations  of  this  spirit  are  so  numer- 
ous it  is  difficult  to  choose  among  them.  I 
shall  relate  briefly  one  of  them,  which  is 
representative.  In  our  state  campaign  in 
North  Carolina,  our  local  chairman  for  Golds- 
boro  was  Judge  W.  R.  Allen,  a  member  of 
the   Supreme   Court   of   the    State   of    North. 


A  Milk  Line  in  Petrograd 


Courtesy  of  Red  Cross  Magazine. 


Russia  was  one  of  the  greatest  and  earliest  sufferers  of  the   war.     With  the   disorders  of   revolu- 
tion   relief   became   increasingly   difficult. 


paigns.  They  have  one  other  aspect,  however, 
which  is  worth  touching  upon.  That  is  what 
may  be  called  their  spiritual  by-products. 
Wherever  campaigns  of  this  non-sectarian 
character  have  been  held  there  has  sprung  up 
a  spirit  of  harmony  that  is  inevitable  when 
Jews  and  non-Jews  work  together  on  the  same 
executive  committees.     It  has  meant  a  marked 


Carolina.  The  following  is  an  excerpt  from 
a  letter  which  Judge  Allen  wrote  to  the  press 
of  his  state:  'The  Jews  have  been  foremost 
in  giving  of  their  time  and  money  for  the  up- 
building and  improvement  of  our  city  and 
county.  They  gave  more  than  a  third  of  the 
cost  of  our  public  hospital,  have  bought  liber- 
ally of  Liberty  Bonds,  War  Savings  Stamps, 


374 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


©     Uiideru-ood  and    Underzvood. 

Madam  Ida  Rubinstein 

The  famous  Russian  actress  presented  a  Red 
Cross  Hospital  to  France  which  she  personally 
directed  in  Paris  during  the  war. 

and  have  been  generous  contributors  to  the 
Red  Cross  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Shall  we 
be  less  generous  and  liberal  than  they?  Our 
President  has  said:  "Give  until  it  hurts."  I 
am  not  sure  but  that  Nathan  Straus  has  ex- 
pressed the  duty  better  when  he  says  "Give 
until  it  feels  good."  I  regard  this  as  an  ex- 
ceptional opportunity  to  express  our  appre- 
ciation to  the  Jews  for  what  they  have  done. 
If  I  had  it  in  my  power  as  Chairman  of  the 
Goldsboro  Jewish  Relief  Committee,  I  should 
prevent  the  acceptance  of  any  contribution 
from  the  Jewish  citizens  of  this  community, 
so  that  we,  the  non-Jews,  might  have  the 
pleasure  of  raising  the  entire  quota  ourselves.' 
This  is  representative  of  our  campaigns  every- 
where,   \\hich    have    attracted    the   voluntary 


support  of  the  most  prominent  non-Jewish 
citizens,  not  only  in  contributions,  but  as 
chairmen  and  as  members  of  executive  com- 
mittees. To  quote  a  recent  article  which  ap- 
peared in  the  New  York  Times:  'It  is  no 
longer  possible  to  regard  Jewish  War  Relief 
as  sectarian  charity.  The  relief  of  innocent 
sufferers  from  the  war  is  bound  up  with  our 
war  aims.  The  good  will  which  the  common 
experience  of  the  war  has  created  has  found 
expression  in  enthusiastic  cooperation.  This 
change  is  beyond  question  one  of  the  most 
significant  spiritual  by-products  of  the  war.' 
Our  non-sectarian  campaigns  have  made  a 
real  and  perhaps  a  permanent  contribution  to 
the  communal  force  of  American  Jewry. 

A  BROTHERHOOD  OF  CHARITY 

"This  hearty  support  of  the  non-Jewish 
community  was  strengthened  and  confirmed 
by  the  splendid  response  which  the  Jews  have 
made  to  the  United  War  Work  Campaign. 
This  response  is  manifested  in  a  letter  written 
by  Dr.  John  R.  Mott  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Dr.  Mott  said :  'I  wish  it  were  possible  for  me 
in  some  way  to  convey  to  the  Jewish  com- 
munity throughout  our  country  my  sense  of 
profound  appreciation  of  the  wonderful  way 
in  which  they  have  thrown  themselves  into  the 
preparations  for  the  United  War  Work  Cam- 
paign. Wherever  I  have  gone,  I  have  had 
most  gratifying  evidence  of  their  whole- 
hearted and  highly  efficient  cooperation. 

"  'It  has  been  most  gratifying  to  me  to  ob- 
serve the  wide  range  of  the  sympathy  and 
cooperation  of  the  Jewish  members  of  the  na- 
tional, departmental,  state  and  local  commit- 
tee. You  have  all  shown  yourselves  to  be 
quite  as  keenly  interested  in  the  success  of  the 
other  societies  associated  with  you  in  this  great 
cooperative  patriotic  endeavor  as  in  the  patri- 
otic organizations  which  you  respectively 
represent.  If  this  spirit  becomes  general 
throughout  our  entire  organization,  which  I 
am  persuaded  is  going  to  prove  to  be  the  case, 
then  a  great  victory  is  assured.' 

"The  success  of  our  non-sectarian  campaigns 
for  the  Jewish  War  SulTerers  subsequent  to 
the  United  War  Work  Campaign  was  cer- 
tainly due  in  part  to  the  realization  by  non- 
Jews  that  their  Jewish  fellow  citizen^  h^d 
done  more  than  their  bit," 


Painting  Vjy  J,    Paul  Vcrrees 


The  American   Red  Cross  in   Italy 


4 


4 


I 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY  375 

THE  COMMISSION  RETURNS  Mothers  in  the  milk  line  carried  babies  who 

seemed  to  be  a  year  or  two  old  and  who  were 

In    1919   commissioners   of   the   Joint   Dis-  really   four  or   five  years   old,   but   unable  to 

tribution   Committee  of  American   funds   for  walk  because  of  starvation. 

Jewish    War    Sufferers   brought    back    heart-  On  the  Polish-Bolshevist  front,  between  the 

rending  reports  of  conditions  in   Eastern   Eu-  two    lines   of   the   armies,    there   were   several 

rope,  particularly  in  Poland.    Mr.  Jacob  Billi-  thousand  women  and  children  unable  to  reach 

kopf  returned  from  that  afflicted  country  and  either  territory.     The  women  w^ere  living  on 

on  Friday,  July  4th,  19 19,  issued  the  follow-  soup  prepared  from  grass, 

ing  statement:  In  an  orphanage  at  Vilna  were  sixty  or  sev- 

"American  Jews  who  desire  to  aid  their  enty  children  squinting  and  blinking  their 
co-religionists  in  Poland  must  do  more  than  eyes:  they  were  suffering  from  what  the  Ger- 
feed  them.  We  are  spending  $1,000,000  a  mans  called  hi'ihner  krankheit  or  "hen  sick- 
month  to  feed  them,  but  that  is  not  enough.  ness."  Lack  of  food  had  resulted  in  oartial 
It  is  only  deepening  their  problem  of  pov-  blindness  for  the  children,  and  they  were 
erty.  The  American  people  must  assist  them  hardly  able  to  see  during  the  daytime,  but 
in  establishing  loan  agencies,  in  supplying  were  able  to  see  to  a  greater  extent  at 
them   with   building  materials   and   shops,    in  night. 

fact,  give  them  another  start  in  the  world  of  Others  reported  similar  conditions,   among 

to-day."  them  Dr.   H.   I.   Davis  of  Chicago,  a  major 

Speaking  of  the  conditions  in  Vilna,  he  said  in    the  American   Red    Cross    Commission    to 

they  were  typical  of  conditions  in  the  other  Poland,  who  issued   tlie   following  statement 

section.  on  May  13,  1919: 

"During   the  war,"   he  said,   "the   Jewish 

population  of  80,000  in  Vilna  was  reduced  to  th^   crisis 
45,000.     Some  of  the  people  left  before  the 

German  occupation,  but  the  depletion  was  in  "World  Jewry  is  at  the  greatest  crisis  in 
a  large  measure  due  to  deaths  caused  from  its  history.  Five  years  of  war  have  decimated 
typhus  and  starvation."  In  preparing  a  bud-  the  Jewish  population  throughout  eastern  Eu- 
get  as  to  the  needs  of  the  45,000  Jews,  he  rope,  and  the  ebb  and  flow  of  fighting  in 
said  the  starting  point  was  made  from  the  Poland,  Austria,  Czechoslovakia,  and  Russia 
conditions  as  they  existed.  The  figures  have  virtually  wiped  out  the  younger  genera- 
showed  that  20,000  inhabitants  were  receiving  tion  of  men.  The  only  hope  for  the  children 
relief  that  was  barely  enough  to  keep  them  of  Israel  is  in  the  Jews  of  America  who  are 
alive.  still    ph3'sically,    and    financially,    sound    and 

The  monthly  budget  in  Vilna,  as  made  up  whose  younger  generation  has  not  suffered  so 

after  conference  with  the  leaders  in  the  town,  terribly. 

showed  that  1,800,000  marks  would  have  to  "If  the  Jews  of  America  could  see  the  Jew- 
be  spent  in  supplying  just  the  elementary  ne-  ish  suffering  that  I  have  seen  they  could  not 
cessities.  By  assessing  those  that  were  able  sit  down  to  another  meal  until  they  had 
to  pay  40  marks  each  it  was  found  that  the  pledged  the  last  farthing  they  could  give  to 
town  could  furnish  but  100,000  marks,  and  the  relief  of  their  fellows  who  are  dying  like 
the  remainder  would  have  to  come  from  relief  flies  in  Warsaw,  Pinsk,  Brest-Litovsk,  and 
organizations.  If  large  sums  were  not  raised  other  parts  of  the  new  Poland.  Jews  in 
for  constructive  relief  the  problem  would  be-  America  have  butter  on  their  bread,  but  thou- 
come  a  perpetual  one.  sands  of   Polish  Jews  have  neither  seen   nor 

Milk  stations  were  set  up  in  Vilna  where  eaten  bread  for  months, 

20,000  glasses  of  milk  were  distributed  daily.  "In  Warsaw   I   visited   the  largest  Jewish 

The  soup  kitchens  fed  about  the  same  num-  hospital.     It  had  700  beds  and  was  trying  to 

ber.    In  the  food  lines  Mr.  Billikopf  saw  from  care  for  1,100  patients  virtually  without  medi- 

1,000  to   1,200  men  and  women  who  before  cines  or  disinfectants  of  any  kind.    There  was 

the  war  were  self-respecting  persons  who  did  no  coal  to  warm  water  for  bathing  the  pa- 

not    know    the    meaning    of    dire    poverty.  tients.    While  I  was  there  a  Jewish  baby  was 


376                                          THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 

born.  The  mother  had  had  no  food  for  four  history  of  brotherhood  and  willing  sacrifice, 
days.  Mothers  in  this  country  can  imagine  The  ties  that  have  bound  Israel  together  have 
the  anguish  of  that  mother  who  gave  life  again  proved  their  strength  under  conditions 
to  her  child  only  to  know  it  must  starve  to  more  soul-stirring  than  any  in  history,  and 
death.  every  Jew  of  America  can  be  proud  of  the 
"I  traveled  2,000  miles  in  Poland,  and  in  record  of  his  race.  The  War  Relief  work 
every  city,  town  and  village  emaciated  Jewish  of  the  American  Jewry  is  a  monument  of  de- 
children  piteously  cried  for  bread.  Poland  is  votion,  built  up  by  a  people  that  has  braved 
a  purgatory,  and  in  it  human  beings  are  suf-  worse  than  shipwreck,  worse  than  plague, 
fering  untellable  tortures.  Back  of  it  all  is  worse  than  famine;  a  people  that,  because  of 
the  fact  that  world  Jewry  has  been  dealt  a  an  undying  faith,  will  continue  to  survive 
blow  from  which  it  will  not  recover  in  gener-  while  the  wheels  of  time  revolve  and  the  wa- 
ations.  American  Jewry  must  rise  in  all  its  ters  of  life  continue  to  flow, 
strength  and  nobilitv  to  stop  this  threatened 

annihilation  of  Jews'  in  Europe."  .^o  J'Se  "'J::i^*a„tL^X^t i^es^TSbl^'^'y  ^h^^  S 

The  generositv  of  America  has  fought  these  Distribution  Committee: 

...                     ,.'.             •T-«ii              -i-L  r.                                                     Number 

appallmg    conditions     in     Poland     as     it    rougnt  Prc-War         Population     Dependent 

,                  1                      ^1                              J      ..•..    ^             J          r  Country                              Population        Jan.,  igig         on   Relief 

them  wherever  there  were  destitute  and  sur-  poiand                       i  vno  nno       t  ^n^  ^Z 

1  uidiiu       1,700,000  1,400,000  1.000,000 

fering  Tews — and  Christians.     For  the  funds  wl^*"'"'^"'\>  ,•••;•; -j-     ^-s-ooo         350,000         205,000 

^    -'                      _                              _  Russian    I'ale    (outside 

given   by   America  were   given   bv   people   of  of  ,   Poinnd     and 

„  J  J  ^      ..1      •  r  '  1-   ^    -1      ..•  „  V'.'"H?"'^^      4,000.000  3,500,000  1,800,000 

all    creeds,     and     at    their    tar    distribution  Baltic  Provinces  —       80,000           30,000 

.,              •jjii              J          -ni        J        11           ..  Russia       (outside      the 

points  thev  aided  all  creeds.     Poland,  all  east-         Paie)    3^0000? 

t;.  ■  1  111  ^1  UJ*  Siberia     :;8  ooo  i       1.500,000  1,000,000 

em   Europe,   has  held  out  hungry  hands   to      r^^^^j^   ...; ;     3^«^°°         ^,^^„„         ^„^^^^ 

America  ^^''^'^. 40,000  25,000  is. 000 

^,   /.        ,  .     .     T    •  u  TX7    T>     Bulgai-'a  40,ooo      40,000      10,000 

Ihe  histor)''  of  American  Jewish  War  Re-     ^""efcc    100,000         100.000  80,000 

,.    -  1      •      iM  •  •  1  1        •        •  lurkey    250.000  250,000  60,000 

her  work  is  like  a  ring,  without  beginning  or      Palestine  loo.ooo  100,000 

end.     The  faith  of  widely  scattered  peoples,      other^ Austria— 900,000         530,000         500,000 

reaching  into  the  dim  past',  has  written  a  new  Persfa"^.. ■.■.■.■.■.■.■.:■.::  '•^°°'°°°       ''^soiooo         ^50,000 


FREE  MILK  FOR  FRANCE 


How  America  Helped  the  Helpless 


WHILE  the  mind  of  the  world  was  bent 
on  caring  for  those  who  were  being  in- 
jured in  theWorld  War,  a  small  group  of  New 
York  women  stopped  to  think  of  those  even 
more  pitiful,  helpless  sufferers, — the  babies. 
These  women  started  an  organization  known 
as  Free  Milk  for  France,  first  in  New  York, 
then  throughout  the  State  and  eventually  in 
thirty-eight  States  of  the  countr\\  As  the  milk 
supply  in  France  had  been  almost  entirely 
wiped  out,  this  organization  was  to  provide 
funds  to  buy  powdered  milk  for  the  babies, 
tubercular  patients,  and  those  who  were  suffer- 
ing most  for  the  lack  of  milk  and  whose  life 
depended  on  it. 

Scientifically  dried  milk  is  very  practical  for 
transportation,  as  it  will  last  six  months  with- 


out ice,  and  it  can  be  converted  into  full- 
strength  milk  by  mixing  with  water.  It 
weighs  one-eighth  what  liquid  milk  weighs. 
It  is  shipped  in  ton  allotments  in  10  and  25- 
pound  tins,  packed  in  iron-bound  wooden 
cases.  The  French  Government  contributed 
to  the  organization — freight  from  the  factories 
here,  transportation,  overseas,  and  distribution 
throughout  France,  in  camions. 

One  pound  of  powdered  milk  makes  four 
quarts  of  liquid  milk.  One  ton  equals  8,400 
quarts.  Ten  cents  feeds  one  baby  a  day; 
$36  supports  a  baby  for  a  whole  year.  The 
average  price  of  a  cow,  according  to  statistics, 
is  $400.  The  agricultural  losses  of  Northern 
France  estimated  in  dollars  amount  to  $3,844,- 
200,(X)0,   and  the  area  devastated  is   100,000 


i 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


377 


square    miles,    which    experts    say    can    never 
again  be  used. 

In  Paris,  under  the  leadership  of  Madame 
Foch,  the  Princesse  de  Poix  and  Madame 
Beauverger,  a  French  Committee  was  formed, 
which  personally  financed  the  running  of  their 
office,  and  received  from  the  French  Govern- 
ment the  gift  of  the  Entrepot  des  Dons,  a 
stenographer  and  an  orderly. 


ential  women  of  the  country  as  chairmen  of 
the  different  branches.  They  devoted  every 
effort  to  alleviate  the  suffering  in  France,  and 
the  sympathy  and  support  of  the  big-hearted 
American  public  was  appreciated  by  the 
French  people,  as  was  evidenced  by  letters 
sent  from  the  French  Committee,  Clemenceau, 
the  ]\Iinister  of  War,  and  Madame  and 
Marechal  Foch. 


My  n2;tt>t.-  i-:  Kltw^ie. 

At  you  ca»  «et' 

At  :;  glancH; 

Help  make  it  a  <i«jllar, 

So  !  cat!  holier, 

Htffi*=^  Milk 

^ot  our  B<>v.-  IT   Krt.*:ic© 


rn  ri*/v\UK^ton'T^^^HCt^\ 


''Flossie"  the  Cow  Helps  the  Cause  of  Free  Milk  for  France 


The  National  Headquarters  in  New  York, 
which  were  donated  to  the  Committee  by  Mrs. 
Samuel  Untermyer,  were  opened  May  i,  1918. 
The  organization  received  recognition  from 
the  President  of  the  United  States  in  a  cordial 
letter  from  him,  for  he  had  reviewed  the  open- 
ing parade. 

The  United  States  Government  demon- 
strated its  approval  by  donating  to  the  Wash- 
ington Branch  of  Free  Milk  for  France, 
through  the  U.  S.  Food  Administration,  gifts 
amounting  to  $9,623.87,  which  represented  the 
fines  imposed  on  three  different  wholesale 
houses  for  profiteering.  The  Stage  Women's 
War  Relief  donated  $9,000. 

By  June,  1919,  Free  Milk  for  France  had 
organized  thirty-eight  sub-committees  through- 
out the  United  States,  with   the  most   influ- 


In  June,  19 19,  the  powdered  milk  was  dis- 
tributed to  over  1,900  dift'erent  places  by  mo- 
tor trucks,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  liberated 
districts  where  the  roads  were  destroyed  de- 
liveries were  made  by  aeroplane. 

In  the  different  cities  throughout  the  land 
benefits  of  all  kinds  were  given  and  were  the 
means  of  bringing  in  large  sums  to  the  organi- 
zation, and  in  each  place  they  were  skilfully 
managed  by  the  local  committees. 

Up  to  July,  191 9,  the  organization  had 
raised  nearly  $200,000,  which  made  it  possible 
to  supply  milk  to  nearly  1,000,000  babies  for 
one  day. 

Very  generally  placed  and  quite  remunera- 
tive were  the  bottle  and  cow  collection  banks. 
The  design  for  the  latter  was  donated  by  the 
famous  sculptor,  Paul  Manship.    These  banks 


A  Winning  Appeal  for  Milk  for  France's  Starving  Babies 

Without  the   assistance   of  helpful  Americans  such  as  the  one  here  shown,  France  would  have  lost 

thousands  of  her  future  citizens. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


379 


were  of  plaster  composition,  sixteen  inches 
long,  sculptured  in  the  round,  in  white  and 
black,  to  represent  a  cow  eating  out  of  a  man- 
ger, and  were  a  lucrative  means  of  collecting 
small  amounts. 

In  the  Calvados,  the  richest  dairy  district 
in  France,  there  is  one  cow  to  600  babies. 

To  quote  from  a  recent  article  by  Rupert 
Hughes, — "The  wail  of  the  children  was 
drowned  in  the  din  of  war,  but  now  that  peace 
has  come  it  can  be  heard.  It  persists  like  a 
night  wind  whining  about  the  house.  The  in- 
tolerable whimpering  of  little  hungry  babies 
gets  on  one's  nerves.  There  are  two  ways  to 
stop  this  noise.  One  is  to  let  them  live  and 
one  is  to  let  them  die.  To  you  is  allotted  the 
choice  of  one  of  them." 

Here  is  a  letter  from  the  Assistance  aux 
Anciens  Militaires  Tuberculeux,  Comite  De- 
partmental de  la  Seine,  dated  September  21, 
1919: 

It  IS  our  old  French  race  that  you  seek  to  save. 
Thank  you  and  thank  you  again.  It  is  in  your 
name  that  we  will  give  it  to  them,  the  name  of 
"America,"  which  for  all  the  French  people 
means  generosity,  bravery  and  strength.  We 
will  distribute  the  milk  to  those  who  deserve 
it  the  most,  also  the  poorest  ones  and  to  those 
who  follow  the  best  of  our  advice  of  hygiene. 
We  take  care  and  visit  them  in  their  homes 
and  watch  over  them  carefullj'.  You  can  be 
sure  that  we  will  make  good  use  of  your 
gift. 


When  one  thinks  of  the  poor  little  souls  in- 
fected with  tubercular  germs  the  following 
dated  December  17th  is  gratifying: 

I  have  just  received  through  the  Committee 
in  Paris  the  really  magnificent  gift  of  twenty 
cases  of  milk,  which  came  from  your  wonderful 
organization,   "Free   Milk  for   France." 

The  anti-tuberculosis  dispensary  under  my  di- 
rection in  Versailles,  is  a  testimony  of  the  affec- 
tion which  the  United  States  has  repeatedly 
manifested  for  France  and  shows  the  interest 
which  its  inhabitants  have  for  our  social  organi- 
zations, first  among  which  stands  the  fight 
against  tuberculosis. 

(Signed)  M.  Pon'cet, 

Directress  of  the  Dispensary 
Ligue  Centre  la  Tuberculose  a  Versailles. 

This  precious  milk  Is  used  for  the  orphans, 
for  tired  or  old  sisters,  for  young  mothers  who 
nurse  their  babies,  for  quite  small  children,  for 
the  tubercular,  for  the  convalescent,  for  the 
people  who  are  left  destitute  by  the  war  and 
hide  their  misery,  for  numerous  families, — In 
short  for  everybody  who  needs  milk  whatever 
their   position. 

Our  parish  Is  situated  In  a  very  populous 
suburb  of  Paris,  numbering  96,000  Inhabitants. 
The  amount  of  poor  who  need  help  Is  very 
great  and  our  resources  are  ver}'  small.  Your 
splendid  gift  Is  thus  very  much  appreciated.  It 
Is  very  useful  and  we  will  never  forget  it. 
(Signed)  Sister  Gaume,  Sister  Superior, 
Asile  des  Petits  Orphellne, 

119  rue  de  Menilmontant, 

Quartier  de   Belleville,   Paris. 


SALVATION  ARMY  STORIES 

Women  Workers  with  the  Troops  Risked  Their  Lives  So  that  the  Amer- 
ican Boys  Might  Have  Coffee  and  Doughnuts  for  Breakfast 


AT  the  foot  of  Montfaucon  Hill,  on  the 
morning  of  September  27,  1918,  there 
was  a  little  two-room  shack,  at  one  time  used 
as  a  spring  house,  but  at  this  time  surrounded 
by  shell  holes  and  craters  and  inhabited  by 
four  young  Salvation   Army  workers. 

On  the  night  of  the  twenty  sixth,  after 
the  313th  Infantry  had  advanced  from 
its  trenches  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  the 
Salvation  Armj^  girls  had  occupied  the 
little    building,    unwilling    to    remain    behind 


the  advance  line  of  fighters.  Even  at  night, 
when  they  set  up  their  crockery  utensils,  an 
occasional  shell  burst  near-by.  At  4  o'clock 
in  the  morning  a  shell  hit  one  wing  of  the 
shack  where  soldiers  entered  to  get  coffee, 
rolls  and  doughnuts.  It  happened,  however, 
that  no  one  was  in  that  part,  so  there  were 
no  casualties.  Ten  feet  away  the  women 
were  at  work  preparing  a  repast  for  the  men 
who  were  about  to  attack  once  more. 

Col.    Claude    B.    Sweezey,    commander   of 


38o 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


That    Doughnut    Girl 

Her    smile    made    the    Salvation    Army    famous 
with   the   boys   "over  there." 

the  313th,  saw  what  happened  and  urged 
the  women  to  go  back. 

"Ladies,"  he  said,  "this  is  no  place  for  you 
now.  The  men  would  far  rather  do  without 
you  than  to  see  you  killed.  I  want  to  ask 
you  to  desert  this  place,  because  at  any  mo- 
ment the  Germans  may  open  up  a  barrage.  It 
is  too  dangerous  for  you  here." 

The  women  replied  that  if  the  men  could 
stay  they  could. 

"We  will  not  leave,"  they  said. 

So,  at  6  o'clock  that  morning,  the  men  of 
the  313th  lined  up,  got  their  coffee,  rolls  and 
doughnuts.  Half  an  hour  later  they  went  up 
the  hill  of  Montfaucon,  took  it,  and  went  on. 
For  four  days  they  had  no  food  other  than 
what  had  been  stuck  in  their  pockets  by  the 


Salvation  Army  girls;  no  water  except  rain 
they  caught  in  their  helmets  or  drank  from 
shell  holes.  But  they  kept  on.  Had  they 
not  eaten  of  the  Salvation  Army's  food,  they 
would  have  gone  into  the  fight  without  break- 
fast that  morning. 

DOUGHBOYS    AND    DOUGHNUTS 

Sergeant  Major  Charles  Walker  of  the 
Princess  Pat  Regiment,  lOth  Infantry,  Ca- 
nadian forces,  who  spent  three  years  and  six 
months  in  German  prison  camps  at  Han- 
over and  other  places,  declares  the  Salvation 
Army  did  the  best  work  of  any  of  the  organ- 
izations overseas.  The  tale  he  tells  is  an 
mteresting  one. 

"The  Salvation  Army  lassies  went  'over  the 
top'  with  us  during  the  second  battle  of 
Ypres,"  he  said. 

"When  the  Germans  began  attacking  at 
8  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  22,  1915, 
the  lassies  who  were  with  us  kept  on  the  job. 
And  the  men  workers  of  the  organization 
pitched  in  and  served  as  stretcher  bearers, 
when  the  casualties  were  so  heavy  that  it  was 
impossible  for  the  army  stretcher  bearers  to 
do  the  work. 

"The  second  day  of  the  battle,  in  the  midst 
of  terrific  machine  gun  fire,  several  of  the 
'Sisters'  went  over  the  top  with  us.  We 
tried  to  keep  them  back,  but  they  said: 

"  'If  you  have  to  die,  we  will  die  with 
you.' 

"Again  and  again  we  tried  to  reason  with 
them,  but  they  said  that  they  did  not  think 
it  right  to  stand  by  us  when  things  were 
calm  and  easy  and  to  desert  in  our  greatest 
trial. 

"And  so  they  stuck  by,  comforting  and  in- 
spiring us  to  greater  effort.  For  four  hours, 
when  we  came  out  of  the  trenches  after  that 
battle,  two  of  the  lassies  at  the  Plug  Street 
canteen  at  Ypres  remained  on  duty  feeding 
1,000  troops.  My,  but  the  coffee,  doughnuts 
and  pies  they  handed  us  were  good." 

How  the  Salvation  Army  lassies,  clad  in 
bloomers  and  armed  with  revolvers  for  self- 
preservation,  went  "over  the  top"  at  Soissons 
with  the  men  in  the  face  of  heavy  machine- 
gun  fire,  is  a  favorite  story  of  Sergeant  J.  W. 
O'Brien,  of  San  Francisco. 

"It  was  on  July  29   (1918)  last,"  he  said, 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


381 


©     Underwood  and   Undcrvjood. 


With  Tommy  On  The  Firing  Line 

On  the  evening  of  January  26,   1918,  four  Salvation   Army   women   workers,    the   vanguard   of 
their  organization,  entered  the  front  lines  held   by  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces  and  began 

mending  socks  and  serving  hot  drinks  to  the  soldiers. 


"that  the  Salvation  Army  saved  the  lives  of 
all  the  men  in  our  company.  The  Germans 
were  sending  poison  gas  over  without  ceasing, 
and  the  food  we  had  with  us  was  spoiled 
the  instant  the  gas  struck  it,  so  that  we  could 
not  eat. 

"We  were  very  hungry,  when,  like  a  breath 
from  Heaven,  came  the  Salvation  Army  girls 
with  coffee  and  doughnuts  done  up  together 
in  huge  rubber  bags,  into  which  the  gas  could 
not  penetrate.  You  bet  w^e  dug  into  that 
chow  and  found  courage  to  keep  on  and  drive 
the  Boches  back." 

Ever}^  one  knows  what  the  marines  did  at 
Belleau  Wood. 

Few  people  know  what  the  Salvation  Army- 
did  there. 

One  of  the  marines  who  fought  at  Belleau 
Wood,  when  the  tide  of  the  w-ar  turned,  tells 
what  the  Salvation  Army  did  for  them  on  that 
particular  front. 

"I  think  the  Salvation  Army  saved  the 
lives  of  at  least  a  fifth  of  the  A.  E.  F.,"  he 
said.      "At    Belleau    Wood    they    went    over 


the  top  with  us.  Inspired  by  their  bravery 
and  devotion  we  could  not  fail.  The  Salva- 
tion Army  never  fails ;  neither  could  we." 

TOLD   BY  A   MEMBER  OF  THE   "SUICIDE  CLUb" 

"Suicide  Club!  Us?  Say,  when  you're 
looking  for  somebody  to  pin  medals  on  for 
sticking  to  their  little  jobs  under  fire — don't 
go  any  further  than  the  Salvation  Army 
girls.'; 

This  is  the  w-ay  First  Class  Private  Wil- 
liam J.  Proctor  answered  a  question  put  to 
him  about  his  experiences  as  a  member  of  the 
102nd  Machine  Gun  Battalion  in  many 
months  of  action  in  France. 

"Yes,  they  called  us  machine  gunners  the 
'Suicide  Club,'  "  he  added,  "because  we  were 
supposed  to  stick  to  our  little  bullet  squlrters 
until  we  w^ere  killed  or  until  w'e  wiped  out 
everything  before  us.  But  I  didn't  see  a 
machine  gunner  in  France — and  believe  me, 
I  knew  a  lot ! — who  showed  any  more  ability 
about  hanging  on  to  his  job  than  the  smallest, 


c 

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THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


383 


frailest  girl  that  the  Salvation  Army  sent 
overseas. 

"I'll  tell  you  that  I  saw  them  leaning  over 
their  cook  stoves,  frying  their  doughnuts, 
when  Heine's  shells  were  plowing  up  acres 
of  ground  on  all  sides  of  them.  They  stuck 
when  they  were  ordered  to  go  back,  and,  take 
it  from  me,  it's  a  different  proposition  stay- 
ing there,  dropping  dough  into  a  hot  pan, 
and  staying  there  when  you're  dropping  hot 
bullets  into  the  other  guy! 

"I  remember  the  first  Salvation  Army  girls 
I  saw.  It  was  in  the  Verdun  action.  We 
didn't  know  who  they  were,  because  we  hadn't 
been  told  that  the  Salvation  Army  had  sent 
anybody  overseas.  But  when  they  handed  us 
their  hot  sinkers  and  coffee — oh,  boy!  I'll 
tell  you  we  knew  them  after  that ! 

"You  can't  make  anything  else  but  a  Sal- 
vation Army  rooter  out  of  me  as  long  as  I 
live,  and  there's  2,000,000  other  boys  who 
were  over  in  France  who  think  the  same  as  I 
do.  As  long  as  any  boy  that  went  overseas 
with  Pershing  has  a  nickel  in  his  clothes,  he'll 
give  it  up  for  the  Salvation  Army  1  We  were 
broke  overseas  most  of  the  time,  and  the  Sal- 
vation Army  gave  us  things,  and  didn't  even 
ask  us  to  thank  them.  They  didn't  bother  us 
about  religion,  either — ^just  kept  on  the  job 
helping  us  and  making  us  comfortable.  And 
we  won't  forget  it!" 


REAL  "buddies" 


"Buddies"  is  the  name  given  the  Salvation 
Army  workers,  both  men  and  women,  by  the 
famous  "Devil  Dogs"  of  the  Fifth  Regiment, 
United  States  Marines,  with  whom  they 
served.  The  title  "buddies"  is  considered  a 
big  tribute  of  military  rank  for  those  outside 
the  regiment,  and  was  conferred  upon  the 
Salvationists  in  recognition  of  their  sharing 
with  the  doughboys  the  hardships  of  sleeping 
in  dog  tents  in  severe  weather,  and  other 
discomforts  and  dangers  of  the  battle  front. 
Returning  marines  of  the  Devil  Dog  Divi- 
sion tell  of  the  bravery  of  the  Salvation  Army 
women,  sometimes  stationed  as  near  the  front 
as  the  second  line  trench. 

"When  we  first  landed  in  France,"  said  a 
Sergeant  of  the  sth  Regiment  Marines,  "we 
found  the  Salvation  Army  active  and  on  the 
job.     On  our  arrival  at  the  trenches  the  Sal- 


vation Army  lassies  were  already  there  and 
served  us  with  doughnuts  and  hot  coffee.  On 
our  return  to  the  States  the  first  ones  to 
greet  us  with  free  telegrams  to  send  to  the 
folks  back  home  were  the  Salvation  Army 
lassies. 

"lliey  have  shown  us  boys  they  were  with 
us,  heart  and  soul,  when  they  slept  in  dog 
tents  during  severe  weather,  put  up  with  army 
life  and  went  through  the  hardships  of  war 
as  well  as  we  did  ourselves.  When  we  were 
in  battle  the  lassies  were  so  close  to  the  line 
they  had  to  wear  gas  masks  and  helmets. 
During  our  long  hikes  they  were  with  us  in 
case  of  emergency,  and  plowed  through  mud 
v.'ith  us,  acting  as  comforters  and  comrades. 
That  sort  of  work  gets  close  to  a  soldier's 
heart.     They  are  real  'buddies.'  " 

SERVICE    SALVATION    ARMY    EXTENDS    TO    THE 
RETURNING   HEROES 

Armed  with  telegraph  blanks,  the  Salvation 
Army  lassies  were  out  to  meet  every  return- 
ing boat  packed  with  soldiers.  It's  a  fine 
form  of  welcome,  according  to  the  men — one 
of  the  most  popular  yet  devised. 

"Eats"  are  all  well  enough,  but  the  first 
thing  the  average  soldier  wanted  after  he 
passed  Sandy  Hook  was  a  second  to  himself 
so  that  he  could  send  a  line  to  the  folks  at 
home.  With  unerring  instinct  the  Salvation 
Army  divined  this  need  and  answered  it. 

When  the  men  lined  up  to  come  down  the 
gangway  and  really  got  their  feet  on  home 
soil  once  again,  a  lassie  slipped  along  the  line 
cf  eager  men  and  asked  each  one  in  turn : 

"Want  to  send  a  telegram  to  the  folks  and 
tell  them  you're  home?" 

Every  boy  knew  she  had  read  the  wish  in 
his  heart  and  the  answer  invariably  flashed 
back : 

"You  bet  I  do — onl}' "    And  before  he 

could  finish  a  telegraph  form  had  been  thrust 
into  his  hand  and  the  next  man  was  being 
asked  the  same  wonderful  question.  There  on 
the  printed  forms  are  convenient  blanks — "to 
— street — place — arrived — temporary  camp 
— well — am   writing." 

If  a  man  was  wounded  or  In  a  great  hurrA^ 
all  he  had  to  do  was  designate  what  blanks 
he  wished  filled  in  and  the  message  was  on 
its  way,  homeward  bound, 


384 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Who  Minds  Prohibition? 


©     Undericoud  and   U iidcrwogd. 


When  there's  a  Salvation  Army  bar  around  the  corner  with  all  the  root-beer  and  ginger-ale  any 

one  could  wish. 


When  Hugh  J.  Ross  landed,  a  lassie  went 
up  to  him.  Did  he  want  to  send  a  telegram — 
he  surely  did.  His  folks  lived  at  Long  Beach, 
California,  and  forthwith  a  message  saying 
that  he  had  landed  and  was  on  the  .  high 
road  to  recovery,  reached  them.  Two  days 
later  a  sinister  packet  from  France  reached 
Long  Beach  with  a  brief  message  from  one 
of  the  comrades  of  the  boy.  The  packet  con- 
tained some  of  his  personal  effects  and  a 
bundle  of  unopened  letters,  which  had  accu- 
mulated since  the  August  before.  With  the 
parcel  came  the  information  that  the  boy  was 
listed  among  the  missing. 

With  frantic  haste  the  family  wired  the 
headquarters  of  the  Salvation  Army  asking 
for  particulars.  A  few  hours  and  the  boy 
was  again  located,  wounded  but  not  seriously, 
and  within  an  hour  his  own  cheering  message 
was  in  the  hands  of  his  family:  "Getting 
along  fine,  riding  the  top  of  the  world." 

Many  telegrams  sent  by  the  boys  carried 
such  messages  as:  "Take  down  your  service 


flag,  your  son's  in  New  York,"  or  "Scrape 
up  the  pots.  Love  to  all."  One  sent  to  the 
sweetheart  of  one  of  the  boys  out  in  St.  Louis 
was  short  and  to  the  point:  "Fire  the  other 
guy,  absence  makes  the  heart  grow  fonder." 
The  Salvation  Army  did  not  finish  its  post- 
war work  with  the  boys  when  it  sent  these 
telegrams  of  welcome.  A  series  of  follow-up 
letters  was  sent  to  the  boy's  home  town.  One 
was  mailed  at  the  time  the  telegram  was  sent. 
This  letter  congratulated  the  boy's  family  on 
the  return  of  their  boy,  and  offered  any  help 
within  the  power  of  the  Salvation  Army.  The. 
second  letter  was  sent  to  the  Salvation  Army 
comrade  in  the  boy's  town,  telling  him  of  the 
first  letter  sent  to  the  family,  and  asking  him 
to  communicate  with  the  mother  if  necessary. 


"ma"  burdick 


"Ma"  Burdick,  sixty-year-old  Salvation 
Army  lassie,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
characters  produced  by  the  World  War.     Her 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


385 


silvered  head  protected  by  a  steel  helmet, 
"Ma"  Burdicic  cooked  flapjacks  and  dough- 
nuts and  sewed  buttons  on  the  boys'  clothing 
close  up  to  the  hottest  shell  holes  and  hell 
holes.  She  mothered  thousands  of  Ameri- 
can boys  and  helped  conserve  their  lives  that 
their  own  mothers  might  have  them  later. 

The  wildest  printed  or  filmed  versions  of 
hardships  endured  throughout  the  war  are  no 
more  harrowing  than  the  experiences  of  Mrs. 
Burdick.  In  the  face  of  exasperating  ob- 
stacles, thrilling  hazards  and  acute  physical 
suffering,  this  aged  woman  served  other 
mothers'   sons  and  won   their  love. 

"Ma"  Burdick  was  among  the  first  women 
war  workers  to  arrive  in  France,  and  among 
the  last  to  leave.  Her  whole  family,  that  is, 
all  who  were  old  enough  to  serve,  served  with 
her.  "Pa"  Burdick,  her  husband,  chopped 
wood  for  her  flapjack  fires,  and  helped  mix 
the  batter.  Her  son  was  fighting  in  the 
trenches,  and  her  daughter  was  in  Salvation 
Army  uniform,  frying  doughnuts  and  attend- 
ing the  wounded  at  many  points  along  the 
line. 

At  Bonnet,  San  Joiro,  Ansauville,  and  other 
points,  Mrs.  Burdick  was  "Mother"  to  thou- 
sands of  adopted  sons,' who  say  she  found  no 
service  too  menial  and  no  work  too  hard  if  it 
helped.  She  donned  a  steel  helmet  when 
ordered  to  do  so  by  the  military  authorities, 
and  she  left  her  post  only  when  she  was  car- 
ried out  of  a  stable  loft,  too  ill  to  stand. 

"Ma"  Burdick  arrived  on  French  soil  with 
her  husband  and  daughter  when  the  American 
troops  were  being  sent  forward  to  train  be- 
hind the  lines.  Her  first  cook-stove  was 
fashioned  out  of  scraps  of  sheet  metal.  Her 
first  flapjack  turner  was  made  from  a  piece 
of  tin  roofing. 

The  first  Salvation  Army  hostel  conducted 
by  "Ma"  Burdick  had  the  blue  sky  for  its 
roof  and  when  rain  fell  it  often  spoiled  her 
flapjack  batter.  "Pa"  Burdick  did  the  rough- 
est of  the  work,  and  between  times  mended 
watches  for  the  boys,  a  pocketknife  being  his 
only  tool  and  his  knees  his  work-bench.  It 
was  "Ma"  Burdick's  motherly  smile  and  hot 
flapjacks  that  brought  the  first  touch  of  Amer- 
ican home  life  to  the  homesi-^k  boys  of  the 
A.  E.  F.  When  these  bojs  moved  forward, 
she  moved  forward,  working  in  villages  which 
were  literally  demolished  by  shell  fire. 


BroujH  Bios. 


Mother  Burdick 


Sixty-year-old  Army  lassie  who  cooked  flap- 
jacks and  doughnuts  and  sewed  buttons  on  the 
boys'  clothing  when  they  were   at  the   front  in 

France. 

The  first  soldiers  to  arrive  in  France  from 
the  United  States  wore  campaign  hats  and 
long  overcoats.  In  the  storms  the  long-tailed 
coats  got  caked  with  mud  and  hampered  the 
troops'  movements.  "IVIa"  had  a  sewing  ma- 
chine sent  forward  from  Paris  and  worked 
every  spare  moment  cutting  the  long  tails 
from  the  soldiers'  coats  and  sewing  up  the 
seams.  With  the  goods  cut  from  the  coats 
she  fashioned  regulation  "rabbit"  caps  for  her 
adopted  sons.  When  the  fatigue  cap  equip- 
ment arrived  later,  it  was  not  needed  in  "Ma" 
Burdick's  sector. 

During  the  first  cold  autumn  the  boys  used 
to  get  soaking  wet  in  the  rain  and  their  over- 
coats would  freeze.  They  came  to  "Ma" 
Burdick's  hotel  and  took  their  turns  standing 
their  frozen  coats  by  her  flapjack  fire  to  thaw 
out. 

"Ma"  Burdick  broke  the  pie-baking  record, 
which  was  held  by  another  Salvationist,  when 
she  baked  324  pies  in  12  hours.  The  former 
record  was  316.  The  first  time  doughnuts 
were  fried  over  "Ma"  Burdick's  comforting 


t 

3 


c 
o 


c 


fcE 


rs 


O 

15 


c 
o 

o 


c/5    rs 


O 


Q  ii-:? 


c 

c 
o 

«  ^H 
-I— I 

> 

C/2 


-o 

o 

B 

C 
C5 


C 

o 

B 


c 

CO 
u 


o 
o 


9J 


\II— 2.3 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY                                            387 

camp  stove,  the  soldiers  were  wild  for  a  bite  his  son  in  the  26th  Infantry,  who  had  been 
of  the  homely  delicacy.  She  had  several  thou-  in  France  since  the  previous  September, 
sand  of  the  doughnuts  and  the  boys  were  lined  "You  don't  know  what  war  is,"  the  son 
up.  The  soldiers  who  had  money  to  buy  the  wrote  to  his  father,  who,  as  chaplain  of  the 
doughnuts  wanted  to  come  back  again  and  U.  S.  S.  Texas,  had  been  in  eleven  engage- 
again.  "Ma"  Burdick,  knowing  that  some  of  ments  in  the  Spanish-American  War,  and  had 
the  men  were  sending  seventy  per  cent,  of  officiated  at  the  burial  of  the  first  Americans 
their  wages  home,  asked  these  boys  to  stand  to  die  in  Cuba.  "You  don't  know  what  it 
aside.     She  said:  means   to   come   out   of    the   muck,   fire   and 

"I  want  the  boys  who  have  no  money  to  darkness  of  the  trenches,  weary  in  body  and 
line  up  now  and  have  some  of  these  dough-  shaken  in  spirit  and  hear  a  sweet  womanly 
nuts.  Just  because  you  haven't  got  any  money  voice  say:  'Here,  sonny,  drink  this;  it  will  do 
is  no  reason  why  you  should  go  hungry."  you  good !'  Then,  in  the  darkness,  you  see  a 
"Ma"  Burdick  insisted  throughout  the  war  Salvation  Army  lassie  smiling  at  you,  holding 
that  the  man  who  was  sending  his  money  out  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  you  forget  all  about 
home  should  enjoy  the  same  comforts  as  the  what  you've  just  been  through  and  only  re- 
boys  who  had  money  to  spend — but,  in  truth,  member  that  there  is  somebody  there  who 
lack  of  funds  was  not  confined  to  the  home-  wants  to  comfort  you.  You  have  no  idea  of 
senders.  the  good  work  those  women  are  doing  here, 

Besides  her  daily  labors,  which  lasted  from  and,  if  there  is  a  single  thing  you  can  do  for 

daylight  until  bedtime,  "Ma"  Burdick  found  them  at  home,  I  want  you  to  do  it  for  me." 

time  to   hold  three  gospel  meetings  a  week.  Chaplain  Jones,  who,  up  to  that  time,  knew 

Two  were  held   each   Sunday,   and  a  prayer  nothing   of   the  war  work   of   the    Salvation 

meeting  was  held  one  night  during  the  week.  Army,   investigated  and  found  that  war  cor- 

These  meetings  were  held  in  cellars,  shell-torn  respondents  and  soldiers  were  giving  the  same 

stables   and   sometimes   in    the   open.      There  testimony  as  his  son.     He  offered  his  services 

were    many    conversions.      The    following    is  and    was    sent    abroad    to    observe    Salvation 

an  actual  testimonial  recited  by  a  big  dough-  Army  activities  and   to  talk  to   the  soldiers. 

boy,  a  convert  of  one  of  "Ma"  Burdick's  song  Beginning    in    the    Toul    sector.    Chaplain 

services :  Jones  toured  every  part  of  France  and  Ger- 

"I  used   to  be  a  hard   guy,   fellers,   and   I  many  where  American  soldiers  were  stationed, 

used  to  say  that  nothing  was  ever  going  to  American    commanders    aided    him    in    every 

scare  me,  but  when  we  lay  'out  there'  for  six  way,  enabling  him  to  cover  one  hundred  miles 

hours  with  a  barrage  busting  right  in  front  a  da}^     In  eight  days  in  the  La  Mons  sector 

of  us  and  'arrivals'  busting  all  around  us,  I  he  spoke  to  more  than   100,000  men,  making 

did  a  whole  lot  of  thinking.      It  seemed  as  4,787     converts.       He     conducted     meetings 

though    every    shell    had    my   number   on    it.  everywhere,  stopping  his  car  by  the  roadside 

And  when  we  'went  over'  and  ran  square  into  to  speak  to  small  groups  and  presiding  at  large 

their  barrage,  I'll  admit  I  was  scared  yellow  gatherings. 

and  was  darned  afraid  I  was  going  to  show  almost  bombed 
it.     We  were  under  a  barrage  for  ten  hours. 

A  shell  buried  me  under  about  a  foot  of  Lieutenant  Louise  Carmikle,  who  came  on 
earth,  and  for  the  first  time  I  can  remember,  from  Michigan,  to  join  the  doughnut  girls 
while  my  'bunkie'  was  digging  me  out,  I  of  the  Salvation  Army  in  France,  returned 
prayed  to  God.  And  I  believe  He  answered  with  an  O.  A.  on  her  sleeve,  of  which  she  is 
my  prayer,  and  that  is  the  only  reason  I  came  very,  ver\^  proud.  She  holds  the  honor  of  be- 
out  uninjured.  I  promised  if  I  got  out  I'd  ing  the  youngest  Salvation  Army  officer  over- 
call  for  a  new  deal  and  I  want  to  say  that  I  seas  with  the  A,  E.  F.  She  is  barely  nine- 
am  going  to  keep  that  promise."  teen,  and  left  for  the  front  just  in   time  to 

escape  the  twentv-five  age  minimum. 

FRIENDS  IN   NEED  ^yi^}^    ^^^^    ^j^j^^^   ^^j^^^.    Salvation    Army 

Early  in   igi8  Chaplain  Harry  W.  Jones,  lassies  she  was  under  constant  fire  in  the  Toul 

a  well-known  lecturer,  received  a  letter  from  sector  and  on  the  St.  Mihiel  drive.     On  one 


388 


THE  AR]\IIES  OF  MERCY 


Tea  for  the  British  Troop  Train 

A  dash  for  hot  water  at  a  wayside  station.      The  British  Tommy  became  a  great  tea  drinker 
while  in  the  war  zone.     Hot  water  was  boiled  in  large  kettles  by  the  kindly  French  peasants  and 

by  Salvation  Army  workers. 


memorable  occasion,  as  she  was  going  from  one 
station  to  another  in  company  with  Staff 
Captain  Coe,  in  charge  of  the  Salvation  Army 
troops  that  went  with  the  First  Division  of  the 
American  Army,  she  barely  escaped  being  hit 
by  a  bomb.  She  and  the  Captain  were  hurry- 
ing along  in  a  little,  worn  Ford  at  the  time. 
It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night,  and  the 
German  plane  could  be  distinctly  seen, 
scarcely  higher  overhead,  it  seemed,  than  the 
top  of  a  house.  Captain  Coe  returned  to  the 
automobile  for  the  helmets  they  had  left,  after 
persuading  the  young  lassie  to  crouch  against 
a  wall.  Before  he  could  return  a  bomb  hit, 
but  fortunately  the  aim  was  bad.  It  landed 
in  a  reservoir  instead  of  on  the  street,  throw- 
ing the  water  up  hundreds  of  feet  into  the 
air.     Their  escape  was  very  narrow. 

Dave's  doughnuts 

Friends  of  Dave  Ryan — and  he  has  a  host 
of  them  in  many  corners  of  the  globe — will 


tell  you  straight:  he  never  forgets  a  friend. 
For  the  past  thirty  years  he  has  worn  the 
uniform  of  a  soldier  of  Uncle  Sam,  and  prac- 
tically every  army  post  in  the  United  States 
and  its  possessions  has  been  his  home  at  one 
time  or  another. 

When  the  United  States  entered  the  war 
Ryan  was  in  harness.  In  the  course  of  time 
he  found  himself  at  Chateau-Thierry,  as  cook 
for  the  headquarters  company  of  the  Fourth 
Infantry,  Third  Division.  It  is  said  a  cook 
grows  weary  of  his  own  cooking,  and  one  day 
Cook  Ryan  had  a  hankering  for  doughnuts. 
He  was  "broke,"  and  he  hesitated  about  going 
to  the  Salvation  Army  hut.  Finally  he 
"braced"  the  lassie  on  duty  there,  saying: 

"I'm  broke,  but,  honest,  lad)',  I  do  want 
some  doughnuts.* 

"Think  three  would  be  enough  for  a  iew 
minutes?" 

"Just  about." 

"Better  take  five  and  come  back  for  more 
if  you  can  hold  them." 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


389 


Five  proved  to  be  his  limit  and  as  he  left 
the  hut  he  said:  "You  folks  will  hear  from 
me   later." 

That  was  in  1918. 

One  day  last  May  (1919)  Cook  Dave 
Ryan  entered  the  Salvation  Army  Doughnut 
Hut  in  Union  Square,  New  York  City. 

"I  got  five  doughnuts  for  nothing  at  Cha- 
teau-Thierry last  July  when  I  was  flat  broke," 
he  said.  "I  told  the  lady  I  would  be  back,  or 
something  like  that,  but  I  was  moved  soon 
after.  Dave  Ryan  never  forgets  a  friend  and 
— please  take  these  five  one-dollar  bills  for  the 
Salvation  Army  Home  Service  Fund.  A 
dollar  a  doughnut  is  cheap,  but  it's  all  I  can 
spare." 

Ensign  Fred  Anderson  of  the  Sal*,  ation 
Army  returned  from  fourteen  months'  serv- 
ice at  the  war  front  with  a  pair  of  much  cal- 
loused palms,  expert  knowledge  of  elementary 
cookery,  and  the  assertion  that  he  had  the 
queerest  job  of  any  man  or  woman  who  went 
overseas.  For  more  than  a  year  Ensign  An- 
derson pushed  a  steel  wheelbarrow  behind  the 
trenches  of  France,  pausing  every  now  and 
then  to  drop  a  few  pints  of  pancake  batter  or 
to  break  a  couple  of  eggs  on  the  iron  plate 
which  covered  the  hot  coals  with  which  his 
barrow  was  filled. 

Ensign  Anderson  invented  the  wheelbarrow 
field  kitchen  himself.  For  about  a  month 
after  he  reached  France  he  had  seen  the  sol- 
diers coming  to  Salvation  Army  huts  for 
doughnuts,  pies,  flapjacks,  cofifee  and  other 
things   the   lassies   prepared    for   them.      The 


thought  occurred  to  him  that  there  must  be 
other  hungry  soldiers  who  couldn't  come  to 
the  huts,  and  he  decided  that  it  was  up  to 
him  to  carry  food  to  them.  So  he  com- 
mandeered a  wheelbarrow,  filled  it  with  hot 
coals,  laid  an  iron  plate  on  it  to  serve  as  a 
griddle,  mixed  a  couple  of  gallons  of  flapjack 
batter  according  to  his  wife's  own  receipt, 
and  sallied  forth. 

The  first  soldiers  he  met  didn't  know  what 
to  make  of  his  queer  equipment,  but  they  soon 
discovered  there  was  nothing  the  matter  with 
his  flapjacks.  The  batter  he  had  taken  with 
him  was  used  up  in  a  hurry  so  he  went  back 
for  more.  On  his  second  trip  he  found  no 
more  hungry  soldiers  to  feed,  so  he  wheeled 
his  barrow  back  to  Salvation  Army  headquar- 
ters and  began  to  make  improvements  on  the 
vehicle  with  a  view  to  continuing  his  work 
the  next  day.  He  divided  the  wheelbarrow 
into  compartments,  one  for  flour,  one  for 
water,  fuel  and  other  things  necessary  to  the 
preparation  of  pancakes  when  traveling,  and 
constructed  an  ingenious  grate,  which  he 
placed  at  the  rear  end  of  his  barrow. 

Ensign  Anderson's  flapjacks  became  so  pop- 
ular that  even  by  traveling  from  place  to 
place  with  his  wheelbarrow  he  was  unable 
to  serve  all  who  wanted  them.  He  estab- 
lished headquarters  in  the  cellar  of  a  ruined 
house,  pressed  into  service  a  couple  of  dough- 
boys who,  before  joining  the  army,  had  pre- 
sided at  griddles  in  dairy  lunches,  and  had 
them  prepare  pancakes  there  while  he  roamed 
about  with   his   wheelbarrow. 


FAREWELL 
By  Robert  Nichols,  Lt.,  R.  F.  A. 


For  the  last  time  maybe,  upon  the  knoll 
I  stand.     The  eve  Is  golden,  languid,  sad.  ... 
Day  like  a  tragic  actor  plays  his  role 
To    the    last    whispered    word,    and    falls    gold- 
clad. 
I  too  take  leave  of  all  I  ever  had. 


And  now  tears  are  not  mine.     I  have  release 
From  all  the  former  and  the  later  pain, 
Like  the  mid  sea  I  rock  in  boundless  peace, 
Soothed  by  the  charity  of  the  deep  sea  rain 
Calm  sea!     Calm  sea! 


m  vain 


Calm  found  long  sought 


They  shall  not  say  I  went  with  heavy  heart. 
Heavy  I  am,  but  soon  I  shall  be  free, 
I  love  them  all,  but  oh,  I  now  depart 
A  little  sadly,  strangely,   fearfully. 
As  one  who  goes  to  try  a  mvsterv. 


O  bronzen  pines,  evening  of  gold  and  blue. 
Steep    mellow    slope,    brimmed    twilight    pools 

below, 
TTushed  trees,  still  vale  dissolving  In  the  dew. 
Farewell,  farewell,  there  is  no  more  to  do. 
We  have  been  happy.     Happy  now  I  go. 


Reprinted  through  the  courtesy  of  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Co. 


THE  LAST  RITES 

By  Commander  Evangeline  Booth 


THE  first  American  boys  killed  in  action 
were  buried  in  the  Toul  sector.  It  was 
drawing  near  to  Decoration  Day.  The  ist 
Division  had  been  transferred  back  to  the 
Toul  sector  after  the  German  offensive  had 


(Q      Undcriiood   and    U ndcrwood. 

Colonel  William  Barker 

The  man  who  originated  the  Doughnut-for-Sol- 
diers  idea. 

been  checked  in  the  Montdidier  sector,  and 
naturally  the  Salvation  Army  was  transferred 
with  it.  All  the  huts  we  had  established  in 
the  first  Toul  sector  had  been  maintained, 
and  we  established  two  additional  huts  be- 
tween Font  and  Nancy.  We  felt  that  there 
should  be  some  memorial  for  the  boys  buried 


"over  there,"  so  orders  were  sent  across  seas, 
accompanied  with  American  flags,  and  all  the 
Salvation  Army  workers  at  the  front  pre- 
pared to  hold  memorial  services  on  Decora- 
tion Day.  One  of  the  girls,  writing  home, 
told  what  they  were  going  to  do  in  Treveray. 
The  letter  came  to  the  Captain  of  the  com- 
pany for  censorship.  He  asked  permission  to 
help,  and  said  he  would  like  the  company  to 
be  present. 

There  were  five  American  boys  buried  in 
the  cemetery  at  Treveray.  Their  regiments 
had  passed  on,  and  the  graves  had  only  the 
crude  wooden  crosses  to  mark  them.  The 
day  before  Memorial  Day  three  of  our  women 
workers  went  to  this  cemetery,  raked  away 
the  dead  leaves  and  smoothed  the  mound  over 
each  grave.  The  following  morning  they 
gathered  red  poppies,  snowballs  and  blue 
bachelor  buttons  which  they  arranged  in  bou- 
quets of  red,  white  and  blue  in  old  apple 
tins  in  lieu  of  vases,  and  placed  on  the  graves, 
in  the  presence  of  the  commanding  general 
and  his  men.  One  of  the  elder  women,  who 
had  sons  of  her  own,  then  asked  permission 
to  follow  the  custom  of  the  Sahationists  in 
offering  prayer  for  the  bereaved.  As  she 
finished  her  prayer,  there  was  scarcely  a  dry 
eye  among  all  that  company  of  American 
'Soldiers. 

After  the  firing  squad  had  fired  five  volleys 
over  the  graves,  and  taps  had  been  sounded, 
the  Salvation  Army  lassies  remained  to  per- 
form a  last  service  to  the  dead.  They  took 
photographs  of  the  graves,  which  were  sent  to 
Washington  with  the  request  that  they  be 
forwarded  to  relatives  of  the  boys  buried  at 
Treveray. 

At  Menil-la-Tour  eighty-one  American 
boys  were  buried.  Here  a  simple  platform 
was  built  in  the  center  of  the  burial  ground, 
with  a  flagpole  at  one  end.  Two  regimental 
bands  took  up  their  positions.  All  the  French 
people  in  the  town  had  turned  out  to  witness 


392 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


ii  nderzvood  and   Underwood. 


Miss  Evangeline  Booth 


Commander  and  guiding  spirit  in  the  Salvation  Army  at  home  and   abroad.     She  is  signing  tags 
upon  which  are  printed  the  receipt  for  the  famous  Salvation  Army  doughnuts. 


the  service.  They  stood  just  outside  the  lit- 
tle cemetery  where  the  soldiers  were  lined  up 
with  the  Red  Cross  and  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work- 
ers. It  was  an  impressive  sight  as  they  all 
stood  with  bared  heads,  unmindful  of  the 
shells  the  Germans  were  sending  across.  Some 
of  the  French  officers  presented  a  wonderful 
wreath,  which  was  placed  at  the  foot  of  the 
flagpole.  Major  General  Traub,  followed 
by  the  lassies  with  the  flags  in  their  arms, 
passed  down  the  long  rows  of  graves,  the  girls 
slipping  a  flag  in  a  staple  at  the  back  of  each 


little  wooden  cross,  then  pausing  for  the 
salute. 

The  General's  address  as  he  stood  facing 
the  w-est,  with  the  thunder  of  the  guns  re- 
minding everjone  there  would  be  more  graves 
to  decorate,  will  long  be   remembered. 

"Out  there  in  that  direction  is  Washing- 
ton," he  said,  indicating  the  west,  "and  the 
President  and  all  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  who  are  looking  to  you  to  set  the 
world  free  from  tyranny.  Over  there  are  the 
mothers  who  bade  you  good-by  wath  tears  and 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


393 


Sent  jou  forth,  and  are  waiting  at  home  and 
praying  for  you,  trusting  in  you.  Out  there 
are  the  sisters  and  sweethearts  you  have  left 
behind,  all  depending  on  you  to  do  your  best 
for  the  right.  Now,  turn  and  salute  Amer- 
ica!" 

The  band  softly  played  "My  Country,  'Tis 
of  Thee,"  as  the  salute  was  given. 

In  Bonvilliers  a  large  field  had  been  turned 
over  to  the  Americans  for  a  cemetery.  An 
arch  had  been  placed  over  the  gateway,  in- 
scribed, "National  Cemetery  of  the  American 
Expeditionary  Forces,"  and  here  were  over 
two  hundred  graves.  The  military  band 
headed  a  parade  through  the  streets.  In  the 
parade  were  many  French  women  and  French 
children  with  flowers  and  wreaths.  Arrived 
at  the  cemetery,  the  Military  Major  made  a 
most  impressive  address  in  both   French   and 


English.  The  French  women  and  children 
took  their  places,  one  at  each  grave,  and  placed 
their  wreaths  and  bouquets  of  tri-colored  flow- 
ers, the  Salvation  Army  lassies  following  with 
the  flags.  In  one  corner  of  the  cemetery  were 
two  German  graves,  which  everybody  neg- 
lected, till  one  of  the  Salvation  Army  lassies 
placed  some  flowers  on  these  also. 

One  of  the  Salvation  Army  lassies  in  cross- 
ing the  fields  at  La  Folic  found  three  Ameri- 
can graves  still  undecorated,  so  she  gathered 
the  tri-colored  flowers  from  the  fields  and 
laid  them  on  the  graves.  Later  she  returned 
and  put  flags  there,  too.  Two  hundred 
American  graves  were  decorated  at  Mendros, 
while  an  air  battle  was  going  on  overhead,  and 
American  artillery  was  being  moved  to  the 
front  via  a  little  railroad  that  ran  close  to 
the  cemetery. 


THE  SALVATION  ARMY'S  WORK  AMONG  SERVICE 
MEN  OF  THE  U.  S.  ARMY  AND  NAVY 

Help  and  Comfort  at  Home  and  Overseas 


THE  pre-war  work  of  the  Salvation  Army 
proved  to  be  an  excellent  preparation 
for  the  part  it  was  called  upon  to  play  in 
the  great  World-War  tragedy,  and  that  part 
was  a  large  one. 

The  very  genius  of  the  Salvation  Army 
movement  meant  fitness  for  this  emergency,  so 
that  when  the  war  came  it  found  the  Salvation 
Army  ready.  This  readiness  was  expressed  by 
a  wire  from  Commander  Evangeline  Booth 
to  President  Wilson,  placing  at  his  disposal 
the  personnel  and  the  physical  possessions  of 
the  Salvation  Army  for  any  service  that  either 
they  or  it  might  be  called  upon  to  render. 
This  offer  was  promptly  acknowledged  and 
acceptance  assured. 

Organization  for  war  work  immediately 
took  shape  in  the  summoning  of  a  National 
War  Work  Council  by  Commander  Evange- 
line Booth,  and  this  resulted  in  the  creation 
of  a  National  War  Board  with  headquarters 
in  New  York,  while  a  supplementary  War 
Board,  with  headquarters  in  Chicago,  was 
formed   for  dealing  with  all   matters   arising 


in  the  Western  States.  The  appointment  of 
National,  Territorial  and  Provincial  War 
Secretaries  was  simultaneously  attended  to, 
so  that  the  entire  Salvation  Army  was  placed 
at  once  upon  a  war  basis. 

Then  followed  the  creation  and  organiza- 
tion of  the  War  Service  League  of  the  Salva- 
tion Army.  This  league  functioned  in  its 
knitting  and  sewing  circles,  and  great  quan- 
tities of  sweaters,  helmets,  hose,  comfort  kits, 
etc.,  were  produced,  these  things  being  largely 
distributed  through  the  Red  Cross,  with  which 
organization  the  Salvation  Army  worked  in 
hearty   fellowship. 

The  inevitable  loss  of  life  in  warfare  was 
anticipated,  and  condolence  agents  were  pre- 
pared to  minister  to  the  bereaved  families. 
A  condolence  card  was  designed  which  has 
been  greatly  prized  by  very  many  of  the  re- 
cipients— the  next  of  kin  to  the  deceased  sol- 
dier. 

The  Salvation  Army  War  Board  held  to 
the  view  that  the  ground  was  well  covered 
within    the    camps    and    cantonments    in    the 


©     Undervjood  and   Underwood. 

Soldiers  and  Sailors  Around  an  Open   Fireplace 

Getting  a  little  of  the  warmth  and  comfort  that  spell  home. 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


395 


United  States,  and  that  for  hut  and  hostel 
work  the  Salvation  Army  would  be  able  to 
render  better  service  if  located  outside  of, 
but  adjacent  to,  the  camps.  Many  huts  and 
hostels  with  canteen  service  were  established, 
all  of  which  were  exceedingly  well  patronized. 
Vast  quantities  of  food  stuffs  of  all  kinds  were 
distributed  over  the  counters.  Abundant  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  men  desiring  to  write 
to  their  friends.  Paper,  envelopes,  cards,  etc., 
were  available  without  limit.  In  all  the  huts 
good  libraries  were  established,  mostly  fur- 
nished by  the  American  Library  Association. 

The  hut  and  hostel  at  Camp  Dix  was  typ- 
ical, and  a  description  of  it  will  serve  to  show 
the  nature  of  the  work  at  each  center.  There 
was  a  fine  frame  building  of  four  floors  and 
part  basement.  The  half  basement  contained 
the  light  and  heating  plants,  i.e.,  steam  boiler 
and  engines  for  the  conversion  of  ordinary 
kerosene  oil  into  gas.  The  first  floor  con- 
tained the  spacious  entrance  hall,  offices,  soda 
fountain,  lunch  counter,  dining  room,  recrea- 
tion room,  meeting  room  and  other  facilities. 
There  was  a  large  porch.  All  these  rooms 
and  conveniences  were  taxed  to  the  fullest. 
The  mezzanine  floor  extended  more  than 
three-fourths  around  the  building,  ceiling  that 
part  of  the  first  floor  that  covered  the  en- 
trance way,  offices,  soda  fountain,  dining  room, 
lunch  counter,  kitchen,  game  room,  etc.,  thus 
leaving  the  center  of  the  first  floor  open  for 
meetings  and  entertainments,  the  mezzanine 
floor  being  used  as  a  gallery  during  such 
proceedings.  This  floor  was  comfortably  fur- 
nished with  settees,  etc.,  and  was  specially 
appointed  for  the  reception  of  friends.  Off 
the  mezzanine  were  the  quarters  for  the  man- 
ager. The  three  upper  floors  contained  one 
hundred  rooms,  all  occupied  always  by  sol- 
diers and  their  friends.  Many  oflicers  found 
the  place  of  great  convenience  in  providing 
the  most  metropolitan  hotel  accommodations 
to  be  had  in  Wrightstown,  N.  J.,  where  Camp 
Dix  was  located. 

^The  meetings  conducted  on  Sunday  were 
of  a  religious  nature  and  shared  fully  the  gen- 
eral popularity  that  obtained  in  connection 
with  this  worthy  house.  Entertainments  of 
various  kinds  utilized  the  spacious  hall  during 
the  week. 

Huts   and  hostels   and   other  war   institu- 
tions were  to  be  found  at  the  following  places, 


Uii  '     .  .^dcrwooc' 

Misses  Gladys  and  Irene  Mclntyre 

Decorated    on    Boston    Common,    for    distin 
guished  service  at  the  front,  by  General  Edwards, 
who  is  reading  the  citations. 

all  similar  in  the  scope  of  the  work  carried  on, 
differing  only  in  the  size  and  style  of  con- 
struction : 

HUTS-~i9,. 
Camp  McArthur,   Waco,    Texas. 
Camp   Cody,   Deming,   N.    M. 
Camp   Lewis,    Tacfina,    VV^ash.    (No.    i.) 
Camp  Lewis,    Tacoma,    Wash.    (No.    2.) 
Camp  Funston,   Junction   City,    Kans. 
Camp  Grant,   Rockford,   111.    (No.   i.) 
Camp  Grant,   Rockford,   111.    (No.  2.) 
Camp  Travis,    .San   Antonio,    Texas. 
Camp  Bowie,    Fort  Worth,   Texas. 
Camp  Logan,    Houston,   Texas. 
Camp    Devens,    Ayer,    Mass. 
Camp    Sheridan,    Montgomery,    Ala. 
Camp  Gordon,    Atlanta,    Ga. 
El    Paso,    Texas. 
Boston  Common,  Boston,  Mass. 
Doughnut    Hut,    Union    Square,    New    York    City. 
Camp    Dodge.    Hcrrold,    Iowa. 
Vancouver,    \\'ash. 

HUTS  &  HOSTELS. 
Camp    Meade,    Odenton,    Md. 
Camp  Dix,   \\'riglitsto\vn.   N.  J. 
Camp  Sherrren,    Cliillicothe.    Ohio. 
Camp     Taylor,   Ltuisville,    Ky. 
36th    &    Huntington    Ave.,    Newport    News,    Va. 

HOSTELS— \o. 
i^Yi    Auburn    St.,    Atlanta,    Ga. 
13-15    E.    41st    St.,    New    N'ork   City. 
87   Vernon    St.,    Boston,    Mass. 
17    S.    Market    St.,    Petersburg,    Va. 
701    N.   Broad   St.,   Philadelphia,   Pa. 
Gra.iby    &    Plume    Sts.,    Norfolk.    \'a. 
Hotel  Argojine,  47th   St.,   New  York  City. 
Camp   Mills,   Garden   City,   L.   I. 
138    E.    State   St.,    Columbus.   Ohio. 
Jackson  &  Broad  Sts.,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

NAVAL  &  MILITARY  CLUBS— Ji. 
128    W.    14th    St.,    New    York   City. 
122   W.    7th    St.,   Junction   City,    Kans. 
1224   Dillon   St..   St.   Louis,   Mo. 
8th   &   Walnut    Sts.,   Kansas  City,   Mo. 
211    N.   Clark   St.,   Chicago,   111. 
6th    &    Broadway,    San    Diego,    Cal. 
723   Los   Angeles   St.,   Los  Angeles,   Cal. 
Jacksonville,    Fla. 
317    Robert   St.,    St.   Paul.   Minn. 
36th    St.,    Newport   News.    Va. 
1S04    Gommerce   St.,    Dallas.   Texas. 


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THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


397 


SALVATION  ARMY  SAILORS'  CLUB. 
Raymond   &   Tillary    Sts.,    Brooklyn,    N.    Y. 

DETENTION   HOME. 
Scott    St.,    Dcs    Moines,    Iowa. 

REST   ROOMS. 
Battle    Creek,    Mich. 
Washington    St..    Brooklyn,    N.    Y. 
Charleston,    S.   C. 

1522   Washington   St.,   Boston,  Mass. 
San    Antonio,    Texas. 
Atlanta,    Ga. 
Baltimore,    Md. 
Macon,    Ga. 
C'haitanooga.    Tenn. 
Newport,    K.   I. 
Concord,    N.    H. 
Lawrence,    Mass. 
Indianapolis.    Ind. 
Rochester,    N.    Y. 
White  Plains,   N.  Y, 
Buffalo,    N.   Y. 
Schenectady,   N.   Y. 
Toledo,    Ohio. 

GENERAL.  ^       ^.. 

Refuge  for  intoxicated  men,  1328  W.  Congress  St.,  Chi- 
cago.   III. 

Relief  Dept.,  Soldiers  and  Sailors,  669  S.  State  St., 
Chicago. 

Hospital  Treatment  Service  Men's  Families,  314  K.  15th 
St.,    New    York    City.  -kt         ^r     , 

General  Hospital  Service,  122  W.  14th  St.,  New  \  ork 
City. 

DEBARKATION  SERVICE. 
129   W.    14th    St..   New    York   City. 
Newport    News,    Va. 
8    E.    Rrookline    St.,    Boston.    Mass. 
701    N.    Broad   St.,   Philadelphia,   Pa. 

RAILWAY  CANTEEN  SERVICE. 
No.   I.— Union    Station,    215    S.    Canal    St.,    Chicago.    111. 
No.  2. — Dearborn   Station,   724   S.    Dearborn    St.,    Chicago, 

No.   3.— La'Salle    Station,    LaSalle    &    VanBuren    St.,    Chi- 
cago,   111. 
No.  4.— R.    R.   Depot.   Tacoma,    Wash. 

At    debarkation    points    such    as    New    York,    Boston, 
Norfolk,    Newport    News,    Portland,    Ore. 

At  Charleston,  S.  C,  etc.,  were  provided 
good  hostel  accommodations  for  service  men, 
which  were  utilized  to  the  fullest  capacity  in 
each  case.  The  appreciation  of  the  men  was 
best  seen  in  their  avidity  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  service  offered. 

At  these  points,  too,  the  Salvation  Army 
had  a  corps  of  workers  meeting  the  returning 
men,  by  which  means  they  contributed  to  the 
heartiness  of  the  home-coming,  and  one 
of  the  most  prominent  among  the  multi- 
farious services  rendered  was  that  of  sending 
telegrams  to  the  friends  of  the  returning  men. 
This  wire  service  was  quite  free  to  the  sol- 
diers, and  thousands  per  day  availed  them- 
selves of  the  opportunity  of  announcing  their 
safe  arrival  by  this  means.  This  phase  of  the 
work  brought  very  many  responses  and  in- 
volved much  additional  labor  in  handling 
wires  from  friends  to  the  men  when  they  went 
from  boat  to  demobilization  camp. 

A  system  of  hospital  visitation  was  fol- 
lowed wherein  the  Salvation  Army  women 
functioned    with     the    marked     approval    of 


the  wounded  soldiers  who  were  the  benefi- 
ciaries of  such  visits.  The  limitations  im- 
posed made  this  work  less  effective  than  was 
planned,  yet  a  great  number  of  our  officers 
have  been  engaged  in  this' helpful  service. 

CLOTHING    BUREAU    FOR    RETURNED    SOLDIERS 

This  bureau  did  an  e.xcellent  work,  espe- 
cially during  the  month  of  April,  1919,  when 
in  Chicago  alone  494  applicants  were  listed, 
371  of  whom  were  assisted,  the  amount  of  the 
help  given  being  $6,874.30.  In  the  month  of 
May  in  the  same  city  there  were  725  appli- 
cants registered,  with  the  result  that  544  of 
the  number  were  given  help  to  the  extent  of 
$15,543.05.  These  men  in  each  case  were 
short  of  the  necessary  outfits  to  return  to  pri- 
vate life.  Our  principal  bureau  for  this  work 
was  in   Chicago, 

There  was  no  discrimination  shown  to 
one  branch  of  the  service  as  compared  with 
another.  The  men  of  the  U.  S.  Navy  and 
the  Marines  were  served  upon  precisely 
the  same  basis  as  the  men  of  the  Army,  and 
wherever  possible  special  provision  was  made 
for  the  needs  of  the  Navy  men,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  Club  building  in  Brooklyn,  which  was 
adjacent  to  the  Navy  Yard  and  was  specially 
fitted  for  the  social  well-being  of  the  large 
number  of  men  always  to  be  found  there. 
The  buildings  in  Norfolk,  Newport  News, 
Charleston  and  Boston  were  specially  ap- 
pointed to  meet  similar  need  in  those  cities. 
The  Salvation  Army  joined  hands  with  other 
Welfare  Agencies  in  giving  the  men  of  the 
Fleet  a  great  welcome  home  upon  its  entrance 
into  New  York  harbor,  and  for  its  part 
in  this  the  warm  commendation  of  the  Com- 
manding Admiral  was  received.  Special  au- 
tomobile service  was  provided  freely  on  the 
part  of  the  Salvation  Army  for  both  Army  and 
Navy  men,  and  the  "sight-seeing  cars"  were 
very  popular  especially  among  the  infantry  boys 
whom  many  weary  "hikes"  had  made  con- 
firmed "riders." 

The  Army  girls  with  their  great  cans  of 
coffee  and  savory  doughnuts  were  quite  an  in- 
stitution when  the  Navy  returned. 

The  overseas  work  was  equally  character- 
istic of  the  spirit  of  the  Salvation  Army,  and 
has  received  the  universal  approbation  of  both 
officers  and  men  of  the  E.xpeditionary  Forces, 


398 


THE  ARIMIES  OF  MERCY 


Underwood  and    Underwood. 


Collecting  Funds  for  the  Salvation  Army 

Gladys  and  Irene  Mclnt\  re,  who  were  cited  for  bravery  during  their  Salvation  Army  work  abroad, 
are  here  seen  collecting  funds  on  Fifth  Avenue  for  their  organization. 


from  General  Pershing  down  to  the  humblest 
private  in  the  ranks. 

There  were  one  or  two  important  differ- 
ences between  the  work  overseas  and  that  car- 
ried forward  within  the  United  States,  chiefly 
in  that  "over  there"  the  Salvation  Army  toiled 
almost  exclusively  w'ithin  the  military  lines, 
while  here  it  was  outside  the  camps,  though 
usually  within  the  zone  of  control. 

This  overseas  work  gave  the  opportunity 
of  revealing  the  spirit  of  consecration  to  a 
great  ideal,  normal  to  a  true  Salvationist, 
who  is  indifferent  to  danger,  and  who  be- 
lieves that  no  place  is  so  perilous  as  to  inter- 
fere with  his  or  her  duty. 

The  force  overseas  was  never  large,  and 
the  Executive  always  felt  that  it  would  be 
wise  to  set  quality  before  quantity  in  this 
matter,  so  that  at  no  time  did  the  Army  have 
more  than  five  hundred  workers  under  its 
control  in  France  with  the  A.  E.  F. 

After  the  original  and  controlling  officer 
was  dispatched  and  had  made  his  survey  and 
report,  the  first  party  was  sent  over,  com- 
posed of  men  and  women.  These  women 
were  as  fully  trained  to  meet  the  emergencies 
as   were   the   men,    for    in    practice   they   had 


been  doing  it  throughout  their  careers  in  the 
Army  work,  so  it  was  no  impossible  problem 
for  them  to  adapt  themselves  to  the  excep- 
tional circumstances  of  camp  life.  When  the 
U.  S.  Forces  were  moving  forward  to  the 
battle  zones,  the  women  of  the  Salvation 
Army  moved  with  their  respective  units,  and 
carried  forward  their  inspirational  and  wel- 
fare work,  very  often  under  the  heaviest  fire 
from  enemy  guns.  Their  service  found  an 
outlet  in  such  small  and  simple  ministries  as 
sewing  on  a  button  or  repairing  a  rent  in  a 
uniform.  The  bo3's  have  told  the  story  so 
well  and  so  widely  about  the  doughnuts  and 
pies  that  no  more  information  concerning  this 
work  remains  to  be  given  publicity,  unless  it 
be  again  to  make  plain  that  what  was  done 
in  this  line  was,  at  times,  done  in  spite  of  al- 
most insuperable  difficulties  having  to  do  with 
both  equipment  and  supplies.  The  coopera- 
tion of  the  military  authorities  often  provided 
the  necessary  field  range,  and  a  captured  Ger- 
man kitchen  more  than  once  provided  the 
required  lard,  after  proper  precautionary  ex- 
amination, because  of  the  exhaustion  of  our 
own  frying  fat  at  the  front-line  posts. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  tabulate  the  results 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


399 


The  Home  of  the  Doughnut  Girl 

In  Union  Square,  New  York.     Her  work  was  as   important    in    this    country    as    across    the    seas 

during  the   years   we  were   at   war. 


achieved  in  the  matter  of  the  distribution  of 
supplies,  such  as  doughnuts,  pies,  etc.,  but 
something  of  the  size  of  this  service  can  be 
seen  when  it  is  said  that  as  much  as  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  tons  of  flour  went  over  in 
a  single  month  for  this  sort  of  work,  besides 
many  purchases  made  by  our  agents  overseas. 
The  generous  allotment  of  space  in  trans- 
ports permitted  us  to  send  supplies  up  to  five 
hundred  tons  in  a  single  month,  and  the  favor- 
ing assistance  of  the  Quartermaster's  Depart- 
ment of  the  Army  was  sufficient  to  secure  for 
us  great  quantities  of  sugar,  flour,  etc.,  needed 
in  the  production  of  the  things  that  contrib- 
uted to  the  comfort  of  the  men. 

In  nine  months  nearly  six  hundred  tons  of 
chocolate  bars  were  sent  over  for  our  troops, 
and  in  addition  to  these  supplies  sent  from 
America,  we  secured  directly  overseas  through 
our  Purchasing  Department  in  Paris  vast 
quantities  of  needed  material.  The  canteen 
service  was  of  a  very  general  character,  while 
we  specialized   upon   doughnuts  and  pies. 

Much  service  was  rendered  through  the  es- 
tablishment of  proper  facilities  for  transmis- 
sion of  money  by  soldiers  overseas  to  their 
relatives  and  friends  in  America.  The  nearly 
one  thousand  posts  all  over  the  United  States 


at  which  our  people  were  stationed  placed  us 
in  a  peculiarly  favorable  position  for  doing 
this  work.  Through  our  agency,  too,  there 
were  quite  a  few  cases  where  friends  have 
sent  money  to  some  man  in  the  A.  E.  F. 

Our  people  in  France  at  all  times  tried  to 
serve  the  friends  at  home  by  caring  for  the 
grave  of  the  boy  w'ho  yielded  his  life  for  the 
cause.  Special  Decoration  Day  services  were 
held,  and  small  American  flags  and  flowers 
were    provided. 

Many  inquiries  were  conducted  through  our 
Department  for  Missing  Men,  and  in  hun- 
dreds of  cases  the  fears  of  anxious  relatives 
were  appeased. 

The  government  accepted  the  proffer  of  a 
number  of  ambulances,  which  were  all  sent  to 
the  front,  where  they  did  continuous  service 
for  many  months. 

During  the  past  twenty-five  years  the  Sal- 
vation Army  has  operated  numerous  free  em- 
ployment agencies  throughout  the  United 
States,  and  in  the  present  emergency  this  w'ork 
has  been  greatly  extended.  In  this  work  we 
cooperated  with  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Labor,  Employment  Service,  and 
other  affiliated  welfare  organizations,  and 
have  been  committed  to  a  very  definite  pro- 


40O 


THE  ARMIES  OF  MERCY 


Underwood  and   U ndcrwood. 


An  Ambulance  Corps  Picking  Up  the  Wounded  After  a  Hot  Engagement 


gram  to  get  satisfactory  employment  for  dis- 
charged service  men. 

We  followed  the  procedure  of  always  giv- 
ing the  enlisted  men  the  preference,  and  we 
strongly  recommended  all  men  to  return  to 
their  home  towns  and,  if  possible,  to  take  their 
old  positions,  unless  they  had  a  more  remuner- 
ative one  in  view. 


METHOD    OF    RAISING     FINANCES 

The  Salvation  Army  was  very  straitened  on 
account  of  lack  of  funds  when  it  started  with 
its  War  Work,  and  to  meet  the  preliminary 
expenditures  upwards  of  $125,000  had  to  be 
borrowed.  Then  followed  a  very  limited  ap- 
peal to  our  own  people,  which  w^as  merged 
a  little  later  into  a  larger  appeal  to  the 
American  public  for  $1,000,000. 

The  effort  of  getting  the  money  wms  carried 
over  for  several  months.  It  resulted  in  secur- 
ing, In  round  figures,  $3,500,000.  Before  it 
was  necessary  to  make  any  further  call  for 
money  the  Welfare  Agencies  merged  together 


at  the  request  of  the  President,  and  under  the 
guidance  of  the  War  Department.  The  Sal- 
vation Army's  proportion  of  this  sum  was  2.05 
per  cent. 

The  statement  which  follow  s  has  to  do  with 
the  war  expenditures  up  to  the  end  of  March, 
1919,  after  which  time  much  money  was 
spent,  for  the  work  overseas  and  here  con- 
tinued until  the  United  States  Forces  wcxt 
demobilized. 

Building  Program,  including 
purchases,  construction, 

equipment  and  maintenance.  $1,306,400.25 

Expense  for  activities  and  serv- 
ice program    160,844.26 

Expenses  paid  at  N.  H.  Q.  for 
financial  campaign,  publicity, 
rent,  salaries,  traveling,  gen- 
eral expense   666,201.22 

France 

Remittances  to  France  and 
expenditures  on  account  of 
war  work  in  France 1,917,797.04 

$4,051,242.77 


D 

522 
H35 
V.7 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


NOTIS    APR  03 1997 
JUgi'Q  WiAK:6  0ldy7 


ty 


02  1991 
RETD  JUN06l997ll 


ilOTIS  APR  27  19! 

RETO  APR  271998  B 


Series  9482 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  L  BRARY  FACILITY 

iiiniiiiiniiiriiiii''iirriiiiir'"'ir'i'ihr 


Hill  III  iliiliilili  iiiiliiii  iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 
AA    000  585  455    9 


3  1205  01 


965  6568 


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